Virginia police department gets puppy in memory of officer

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) - A Virginia police department has been gifted a 10-month-old puppy in memory of an officer who was killed earlier this year.

The black lab was gifted to the Newport News Police Department by Virginia-based American K-9 Interdiction in honor of Officer Katie Thyne, the Daily Press of Newport News reported Wednesday. The dog is named Fenway to recognize Thyne’s favorite baseball team, the Boston Red Sox.

Thyne was killed in January after being dragged by a vehicle during a traffic stop. She was one of two police officers who were standing by the driver’s-side door of a vehicle when it accelerated and drove a block before slamming into a tree, Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said at the time.

Drew said Thyne was pinned between the door and the tree. She was flown to a hospital in nearby Norfolk where she died from her injuries.

Police charged Vernon E. Green II with felony murder in Thyne’s death. He is scheduled to appear in court next month.