K-9 Dog Dies After Being Locked in Hot Vehicle; Detroit Cop Under Investigation

An internal investigation into a Detroit police K-9 officer is under way because heat killed his dog after it was left alone in a hot vehicle for about 40 minutes.

The June 26 incident happened when "Vito," a German shepherd drug-sniffing and tracking dog, was locked inside a police SUV that shut down, Sgt. Nicole Kirkwood tells George Hunter of The Detroit News. The local temperature reached 79 degrees that Tuesday.

"The dog was found unresponsive inside the vehicle by his handler," Kirkwood said.  "The officer immediately made notification [to the department] and sought aid for the K-9. It looked like the dog was going to recover, but unfortunately it died the next day of cardiac arrest."