A Mississippi police dog was shot and killed in the line of duty Thursday afternoon.

The K-9 officer with the Pascagoula Police Department, named Exo, was shot as officers on the Mississippi Gulf Coast tracking a suspect wanted by Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.

The sad announcement was made on the Pascagoula Police Department’s Facebook page.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce K9 Officer Exo was killed in the line of duty yesterday. K9 Exo and his handler, Officer Prisock were tracking a suspect when the suspect fired shots at our officers and hit K9 Exo. He was rushed to an emergency vet where sadly he succumbed to his injuries,” the post said.

The suspect, Mitchell Wayne Robinson, 36, was being sought in connection with an aggravated assault with a firearm case that occurred in the Helena Community Thursday afternoon.

Robinson was taken into custody later that day.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is handling the case.