Parolee, Police Dog Killed

Sheriff’s deputies responding to a family disturbance call in Willowbrook shot and killed a 24-year-old parolee when he reportedly whirled around with what appeared to be a weapon, authorities said Monday. They also accidentally killed a police dog that was trying to subdue the man when he turned.

Deputies from the Century station were called to a house in the 2400 block of 126th Street just after 9 p.m. Sunday.

But the suspect, Deandre Brunston, had left that house and barricaded himself on the porch of a nearby home, deputies said. He told the deputies that he had a gun and threatened to kill them, authorities said.

Deputy Glenn Emery, 34, released his dog, Marco, a 9-year-old Belgian malinois. The dog was trying to control Brunston when he spun toward them, authorities said.

What they thought was a weapon turned out to be a black sandal with a silver buckle.

Brunston, who also had an outstanding arrest warrant for narcotics, died at the scene.

The dog, shot in the head, was airlifted to a veterinary hospital in Norwalk, where it died. It was the first Sheriff’s Department dog killed in the line of duty, authorities said.

Marco and Emery, a 14-year veteran of the department, were one of 12 teams in the department’s Canine Services Detail, said Lt. Patrick Maxwell.

They had been together for six years.