Update: Conflicting Accounts Emerge in Death of K9 Officer Tyrann

Interview information provided by Tim Unruh, freelance journalist.

Update: After we sent the story at 8:16 a.m., we received additional information from the Salina Police Department at 8:32 a.m. Angela Fuller provided the following update:

The incident report remains an active investigation, with officers still working to gather information from witnesses. The timeline for completing the investigation will depend on how quickly witnesses can be contacted. All investigative details will be included in the final incident report.

Additionally, there is a substantial number of training records that are being compiled by an assigned employee. Fuller hopes these records will be gathered by the end of the week, but depending on the volume and format, it may take slightly longer.

SALINA — The death of K9 Officer Tyrann on September 18th during a recruitment photo shoot atop the Salina Regional Health Center’s parking garage has prompted questions, with conflicting details emerging.

In a phone interview on Friday, John Nelson, director of facilities at the hospital, confirmed that he relayed permission from hospital administration to allow the photo shoot on the top floor but was unaware a police dog would be involved.

Tyrann, a highly trained Belgian Shepherd, fell to his death after what has been described as an “accidental fall from an elevated position.” The top floor of the parking garage, where the incident occurred, is closed to the public. All other floors are protected by netting, a detail not present on the top level.

Nelson, speaking as a private citizen, stated that a member of the hospital security team relayed the request for access to the parking garage to him. The original request was from someone at the Salina Police Department, but Nelson was not made aware that a dog would be involved in the shoot.

“They didn’t disclose they were going to bring a dog to the garage,” Nelson said. “Had they disclosed that, I might have had a different answer. I think it was really not a smart thing to do.”

Nelson recounted that on the evening of the incident, he received a call around 6:45 p.m. from hospital security, who told him that the photo shoot “didn’t go well and there was an incident with the dog, and it passed away.”

His claim that it was the first time such a request had been made contradicts a Salina Police Department press release issued on September 20th. According to that statement, officers were on-site for a recruitment advertisement when Ty’s handler let him out of the vehicle to relieve himself. The release noted that both the handler and Ty were familiar with the area, having used it multiple times for training. The statement also emphasized that Ty was not placed on or near the ledge, stating, “Ty went around a parked vehicle, and his handler went to check on him and discovered the tragedy.”

Nelson, who was not at the scene, said that by the time security informed him of the incident, police and EMS had already arrived and “cleaned everything up.”

Rumors about potential witnesses have surfaced, but Nelson noted he had no direct knowledge of anyone seeing the event firsthand. “The only thing I heard was that somebody — I don’t know if it was a patient — said they did [see it]. But it was a friend of a friend of a friend type of thing.”

He expressed deep sorrow over the loss of the dog, adding, “It just sickens me that it happened because I love dogs, too.”

In the aftermath of the tragedy, Salina311 filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for full details about the incident. The Salina Police Department acknowledged the request that was made on September 24th but said the official report remains incomplete.

Angela Fuller, the department’s support supervisor, responded to the request via email on September 26, stating, “The incident report is not yet complete and is still in process. We are researching the rest of the request and will reach out when additional information is available.”

As the community mourns the loss of K9 Officer Tyrann, the delay in the report's release has only fueled speculation and uncertainty. With no timeline for the report and no security footage of the incident, the call for transparency continues to grow.

Nelson, reflecting on the tragedy, said his loyalty is to the Salina community. “The hospital didn’t do anything,” he remarked. “(Salina Regional officials) were gracious to allow people on the property to do public service work.”

The incident has left Salina grappling with grief and searching for answers as they await further updates from the police department. Salina311 remains committed to providing ongoing coverage as new information becomes available.