Funeral Held For Slain Braintree Police K-9 Kitt At Gillette Stadium
FOXBORO (CBS) – A special service was held to honor fallen Braintree Police K-9 Kitt on Tuesday at Gillette Stadium. The funeral is reserved for law enforcement and invited guests. It was not open to the public.
People wanting to pay their respects to Kitt, a 12-year veteran of the Braintree Police Department who was shot and killed responding to a domestic incident earlier this month, lined the streets for a procession from Braintree to Foxboro.
The procession began at Cartwright Funeral Home around 10 a.m.
K-9 Kitt is being remembered as the beloved partner of Officer Bill Cushing, who was also shot and wounded during the incident on June 4. Officer Matthew Donoghue was shot as well.
Cushing and Kitt had worked together for 11 years.
"Kitt knew one thing and one thing only on June 4, 2021: there was a threat on the loose. A threat to his handler and the people of Braintree. At the command and with the backing of his handler and his guardian, Kitt answered the call to seek out and find, even neutralize that threat. It cost him his life," said Father Paul Clifford.
The service at Gillette Stadium featured Braintree Police honor guard, the Boston Police Gaelic Column, as well as a walk-by and salute by uniformed personnel.
Flags at Boston Police facilities will be flown at half staff from sunrise to sunset.
Sgt. Ryan Thurber was an army dog officer. "To lose a dog has got to be heart-wrenching, 100% heart-wrenching. It's the toughest thing to go through I'm sure," he said outside the service.