On the Street

S.C. Law Enforcement Agent Thanks Boy for Painting Honoring Fallen K-9

Nov. 29, 2023

Joel Ekpunobi painted a mural to honor Rico, a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division K-9 who died on duty in September, Rico's handler made a surprise visit to thank the fifth-grader.

Source Officer.com News

Joe Vince

South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Agent Richard Hunton thanks fifth-grader Joel Ekpunobi, who painted a mural of Rico, a K-9 killed during a call in September. Hunton was Rico's handler.

A South Carolina law enforcement agent thanked a boy for his painting that honored the memory of a fallen K-9.

Joel Ekpunobi, a Johns Island fifth-grader, had painted a mural dedicated to Rico, a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division K-9 who was killed trying to apprehend a shooting suspect in the area in September, the Charleston County Sheriff's Office stated in a social media post. Agent Richard Hunton was Rico's handler, and he surprised Joel with a visit to his school.

“I wanted to tell him ‘Thank you’ and that I appreciated the painting,” said Hunton.

Joe was stunned by the surprise visit. Hunton and the sheriff's office also brought K-9s to spend time with the boy and his classmates.

“He was all smiles!” said Britney Freeman, Joel's mother. ”He was so dedicated in the creation of the painting, so to see them meet today was truly inspiring.”

“He worked on the painting for two and a half weeks from sketching, getting it onto the canvas and then painting it,” said art teacher Megan Sweeney. “It really struck a chord with him.”

About the Author

Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.