Albuquerque police say a service dog that was unleashed after officers shot a homeless man last year is being retired and may be put to sleep.
Police spokeswoman Celina Espinoza says K-9 Rex's time on the force is ending after his handler, Officer Scott Weimerskirch, retired Friday.
At 9-years-old, she says, Rex is too old to be trained to work with another handler.
She added Monday that Weimerskirch cannot keep the dog because he has a small child at home.
Weimerskirch's and the K-9's proximity to James Boyd during a March 2014 standoff has become a key factor in the case of two other officers charged in Boyd's death. The case is set to go to trial next year.
Authorities will decide on Rex's fate after attorneys weigh in on whether he's needed as they prepare their cases.
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