Tuesday evening, Streetsboro police K-9 Kaya was fatally struck by a vehicle, according to a Facebook post from Streetsboro police.
Around 5:35 p.m., Kaya and his handler got out of their cruiser to stretch their legs when Kaya got too close to State Route 303 and was struck by a passing car, police said.
The officer rushed Kaya to a nearby veterinarian, where he died a short time later, police said.
Initially, third-party posts on social media suggested the crash was intentional. However, police said there is no evidence that it was anything other than a "heartbreaking and horrific accident," and the driver did return to the scene and spoke with officers.
According to police, Kaya was only three days away from his ninth birthday.
Following the crash, Streetsboro police posted the following statement to Facebook:
It is with the heaviest of hearts that we have to report the sudden loss of our beloved K9 Kaya on 1-7-2025. At 5:35pm, while out of his cruiser to stretch his legs, Kaya got too close to SR 303 and was struck by a passing car. Officer Hall immediately took Kaya to the closest vet and then directly to an emergency center at Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital in Highland Heights. Kaya's injuries were too severe to overcome and he passed a short time later. Initial third-party social media posts indicated this was an intentional act. We are continuing to investigate but, at this time, there is no evidence that the crash was anything other than a heartbreaking and horrific accident. The driver did return to the scene to speak with officers.
K9 Kaya was only 3 days away from his 9th birthday. We ask that you keep Officer Hall and everyone at SPD in your thoughts as we deal with our loss. Additional details will be provided on any services that may take place.
