Today we are sitting with one of our East coast brothers in retired Braintree Massachusetts PD and founder of the KITT Foundation, Billy Cushing.
Billy was a 17-year veteran of the Braintree Police Department where he served as a patrol K9 Handler for 10 of those years. He is a two-time recipient of the Geroge Hannah Award for Valor among other honors. In this episode Billy tells the story of his K9 partner, Kitt, and the bond and partnership they shared.
On June 4th, 2021 Billy, Kitt, and backup officers responded to a domestic dispute at an apartment complex on McCusker Drive, in which the suspect fled to a wooded area. Billy and Kitt began their trek to locate the suspect when they were ambushed by the suspect, who was hiding.
Kitt, upon locating the suspect, advanced into the hail of gunfire. Kitt was struck by 3 fatal bullets and Billy was hit 5 times and Officer Donoghue was hit once during this gunfight. The suspect was eliminated during this gunbattle.
Billy was critically injured during this incident but recovered to start a new mission and journey to honor his hero partner Kitt.
In the wake of Kitts death Billy organized a Foundation, named the KITT Foundation, that would connect members of the public interested in providing support to K9 Teams across the country.
Dallas Police K9 Handler, Scott Jay sat in as a cohost.
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