Memorial service set for Wednesday to honor fallen K9 Axe

ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (WJBK) - A memorial service is set for Wednesday, November 14th, to honor St. Clair Shores police K9 'Axe', who died while trying to take down an armed man earlier this month.

Axe was killed in the line of duty on Sunday, November 3rd. He was running after a man armed with a gun, police said, when the man shot him. 

FOX 2 News Now will stream the memorial service for Axe. Watch it live here.

Police returned fire and killed the man, identified as 29-year-old Theoddeus Gray, outside of a baby shower at Lakeland Manor Banquet Hall.

Axe could not be saved and later died from his injuries. It's not known if Axe was wearing a bulletproof vest.

Collin Rose Foundation raises $15K in memory of fallen police dog Axe

A memorial service for Axe is set for Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in St. Clair Shores. FOX 2 plans to stream the memorial on Facebook.

The family of Gray said he was armed because someone threatened to kill him while he was at the baby shower. 

Police claim Gray ignored officer demands to drop his gun. That's when police sent their K-9 Axe after Gray. The sister says the police dog bit Gray in the back side and when Axe tried to bite him again, Gray shot and killed the dog. The cops pursued Gray, who continued to run from police. 

"The cops laid down and was shooting, aiming at him and they shot him more than 10 times," Howard's sister said.

She says he finally dropped. Gray was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Macomb County Sheriff's Department is investigating the case.

Gray has a criminal history, serving two years' probation for drugs. The sheriff's office is not commenting on the case until the investigation is complete.