Deputy Zachary Oliver said at a news conference that Graffit had died in the line of duty, protecting the public and fellow officers. The dog was the first Jefferson County Sheriff’s K-9 killed in the line of duty.
A Jefferson County deputy, whose K-9 was shot and killed in Golden, remembered the dog, Graffit, on Thursday as a fellow officer and a loving member of his family.
The suspect in the shooting, 29-year-old Eduardo Armando Romero, is being held at the Jefferson County Jail.and ran into a wooded area along the Colorado School of Mines campus, which was put on lockdown. Oliver and Graffit were among the responding deputies and police. Graffit, a 10-year-old, 80-pound German shepherd, was following a command to apprehend the suspect when he was shot.At the end of a shift, Graffit would go home with Oliver, where his wife, Alicia, and their two daughters, ages 4 and 11, embraced the energetic dog as a family member.A memorial for K-9 officer Graffit – who was killed in the line of duty – on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023.
The 4-year-old would call Oliver at work and ask, “‘Daddy, how is Graffit today?’ They knew he was important.”Oliver said he’s had overwhelming support from the sheriff’s office, local police, and officers around the country, as well as many members of the Jefferson County community.