‘He truly saved our lives’: Memorial held for K-9 shot in the line of duty

OCALA, Fla. (WCJB/Gray News) - A memorial service was held on Monday morning for a K-9 deputy killed in the line of duty in Marion County, Florida.

The service for Marion County Sheriff’s Office K-9 “Leo” was held in front of the MCSO Main Operations building.

Leo will be buried in front of the building along with any K-9s ′s killed in the line of duty in the future.

Leo was shot on Feb. 17 as deputies attempted to detain Jeremy Bradsher, 44, regarding a domestic incident on Northwest 114th Court in Silver Springs.

Deputies say Badsher fired at deputies and they returned fire.

Bradsher was killed in the gunfire. K-9 Leo was taken to UF Animal Hospital in critical condition and died days later.

Corporal Justin Tortora, Leo’s handler, says his fellow deputies wanted to protect Leo just as he protected them.

“On this day, we were met with extreme violence right off the rip. The training that we went through, he and I; we were meant to be there. Without that, the three officers, including myself, that were there could have been significantly injured if not killed. He truly saved our lives that day,” Tortora recounted.

Tortora feels like he’s lost a family member.

“He came home with me every day of his life while he worked here,” shared Tortora. “He became quickly attached to my wife, my daughter. He’s just more than family, he was a partner every day. Truly amazing.”

Leo’s memorial service was open to the public and streamed on the sheriff office’s Facebook.

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