COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Friday morning, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department honored one of their fallen K9 Deputies with a procession across the city of Columbia — after he was shot and killed this past Monday. The procession for 4-year-old K9 Bumi began just off of Farrow Road, ending at McAlister-Smith Funeral Home on State Street in West Columbia. Sheriff Leon Lott spoke with media after the procession about one suspect who is still at large — 17-year-old Damian Rashon Brown. “We believe he’s still in the Columbia area so we’re asking the community to help us. He’s definitely a threat to the community, he demonstrated that the other night in the crimes that he committed and we know he will continue to commit crimes up until he’s captured,” says Lott. RCSD reports that K9 Bumi and his handler, Specialist Alan Ware, were chasing two teenage suspects on foot near Alida Street in Columbia when one of the suspects, who was 13 years old, opened fire. K9 Bumi was shot at least three times in areas around his bullet proof vest, leading to his death. “Our Deputy Ware is suffering, his kids, his family are suffering, that dog was part of their family. It’s just been snatched away from them for no reason whatsoever,” says Lott. RCSD reports that the three suspects had stolen a vehicle near the 7400 block of Parklane Road around 9:30 Sunday night, with a police pursuit following. The 13-year-old shooter and Brown ran from the vehicle, with a third suspect, 16-years-old, being detained at the scene. Both the 13-year-old and 16-year-old’s names and faces cannot be given out, according to state law. “We do know after our dog was killed, the 13-year-old watched the news cast, but he still didn’t turn himself in. We’re asking Mr. Brown, that if he’s watching, we’re gonna get you. So you can turn yourself in now, or you can suffer the consequences of us finding you. And we will find you, that is a promise,” says Lott. And since the incident occurred, a number of comments on social media (TikTok: leewilliamsonair) have suggested that K9’s should not be used on suspects at all, specifically young people. ABC Columbia’s Lee Williams asked Sheriff Lott to respond to these concerns. “How in the world do we know how old they are? All we know is they committed a crime. What are we supposed to have a crystal ball? That 13-year-old had a gun. That 13-year-old was involved in stealing a car. That’s probably one of the stupidest questions or statements somebody could make. How are we gonna know what age somebody is when they’re committing a crime? Our job is to catch people, so no, I don’t put any validity to that statement whatsoever,” says Lott. If you have any information on Brown’s whereabouts Lott encourages you to call the sheriff’s department or Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. “If you need money, and that’s your motivation, Crimestoppers will give you money for turning him in or just do the right thing,” says Lott. Bumi is now the third K9 deputy with Richland County to be killed this year. Categories: Local News, News Tags: Damian Brown, K9 Bumi, Sheriff Leon Lott