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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Police dog named Gazza shot dead at New Zealand gun siege | Police dog named Gazza shot dead at New Zealand gun siege |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| New Zealand police surrounded a property in Wellington after an armed man shot and killed a police dog named Gazza in a dramatic encounter where one officer had to jump out of a second-storey window to safety. | New Zealand police surrounded a property in Wellington after an armed man shot and killed a police dog named Gazza in a dramatic encounter where one officer had to jump out of a second-storey window to safety. |
| Related: New Zealand police shooting siege ends after 22 hours | Related: New Zealand police shooting siege ends after 22 hours |
| The armed offenders squad was negotiating with the man to put down his weapons and peacefully leave the house on Friday afternoon. | The armed offenders squad was negotiating with the man to put down his weapons and peacefully leave the house on Friday afternoon. |
| In March four police officers were shot and wounded during a siege near the rural town of Kawerau in the Bay of Plenty. | In March four police officers were shot and wounded during a siege near the rural town of Kawerau in the Bay of Plenty. |
| Gazza was the 24th police dog killed in the line of duty in New Zealand, the force said. | Gazza was the 24th police dog killed in the line of duty in New Zealand, the force said. |
| The German shepherd graduated in 2013 with his handler, Constable Josh Robertson, and had worked in Wellington ever since, tracking and catching offenders. | The German shepherd graduated in 2013 with his handler, Constable Josh Robertson, and had worked in Wellington ever since, tracking and catching offenders. |
| He was popular at schools, sports grounds and open days in the capital. | He was popular at schools, sports grounds and open days in the capital. |
| Gazza was previously involved in an incident where he was choked by an offender in 2014 after tracking him for three and a half kilometres through Wainuiomata. | Gazza was previously involved in an incident where he was choked by an offender in 2014 after tracking him for three and a half kilometres through Wainuiomata. |
| A memorial service will be held for Gazza at the police dog training centre. | |
| The Wellington police district commander, Superintendent Sam Hoyle, said the force would grieve for the dog as they would any other colleague. | The Wellington police district commander, Superintendent Sam Hoyle, said the force would grieve for the dog as they would any other colleague. |
| “It’s with great sadness that I can advise one of our police dogs was shot and killed today in the line of duty while executing a routine search warrant in Porirua,” Superintendent Hoyle said in a statement. | “It’s with great sadness that I can advise one of our police dogs was shot and killed today in the line of duty while executing a routine search warrant in Porirua,” Superintendent Hoyle said in a statement. |
| “While at the address, a man presented a firearm and the police dog was shot and subsequently killed. Two officers immediately removed the dog’s body from the house and one officer jumped to safety out of a second-storey window.” | “While at the address, a man presented a firearm and the police dog was shot and subsequently killed. Two officers immediately removed the dog’s body from the house and one officer jumped to safety out of a second-storey window.” |
| New Zealand’s first fully trained police dog, Miska, was brought over by ship from England in 1956, with a handful of puppies and adolescent dogs in training. | New Zealand’s first fully trained police dog, Miska, was brought over by ship from England in 1956, with a handful of puppies and adolescent dogs in training. |
| For the first decade the New Zealand dog squad was short on equipment, and vehicles, and did not wear a uniform. | For the first decade the New Zealand dog squad was short on equipment, and vehicles, and did not wear a uniform. |
| Since then the canine police force has grown to more than a hundred dog teams country-wide, and has provided training for dog squads in Australia, the Pacific Islands and some Asian countries. | Since then the canine police force has grown to more than a hundred dog teams country-wide, and has provided training for dog squads in Australia, the Pacific Islands and some Asian countries. |
| Police dogs attend around 40,000 call-outs a year and suffer around five injuries a year, according to the force. | Police dogs attend around 40,000 call-outs a year and suffer around five injuries a year, according to the force. |
| The last police dog killed in New Zealand was Gage, who took a bullet for his handler in 2010 during a drugs raid in Christchurch. | The last police dog killed in New Zealand was Gage, who took a bullet for his handler in 2010 during a drugs raid in Christchurch. |