Riverside County Sheriff’s Department mourns death of K9

Last night, K-9 Rico passed away with his family and friends by his side.

Rico was 5 years old and had been in service for over four years. He was assigned to several tasks including SWAT, where he assisted on high-risk missions.

The K-9 was even gun trained and found lots of guns discarded by wanted people during foot or vehicle pursuits.

Deputies say he was an outstanding dog that protected the public from harms way.

According to Riverside County Sheriffs' K-9 Team "K-9 Rico was a wonderful dog and did outstanding work for the citizens of Riverside County."

"We know K-9 Rico is looking down at us, as he swims in his pool with his oversized donut!" writes the Riverside County Sheriff's K-9 team.