DUNBAR, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A Dunbar Police K-9 dog was shot and killed Monday evening after it fought with its handler's neighbor's dog in a rural part of Kanawha County, according to Police Chief Earl Whittington.

The incident happened at about 6:50 p.m. Monday near Sergeant R.O. Conley's home in Tornado.

Chief Whittington tells WSAZ.com that the dog, Sgt. Angus, somehow escaped from his kennel about 45 minutes to an hour after Sgt. Conley brought him home and secured him in his cage.

The cage was not fully enclosed, but Whittington says it could not have been easy for the dog to get out through a small crawl space. He says Angus has no history of trying to escape the enclosure and believes something likely provoked the dog.

Angus then started chasing Conley's neighbor's dog and fought with it on the neighbor's property. Whittington says the neighbor came out and tried to break up the fight, but when Angus made an aggressive move toward him, he shot the dog twice with a shotgun, killing him.

The neighbor then called the police to alert them of the situation. He told investigators he didn't know it was a K-9 dog and was apologetic.

The neighbor's dog was bitten during the fight and the neighbor had some minor cuts.

Whittington says he doesn't blame Conley's neighbor for trying to protect himself.

"This is a bad loss for the city, bad loss for the handler," said Whittington. "Sad, sad situation."

Sgt. Angus had been with the Dunbar Police Department for the past two years and has gone through extensive training. He was assigned to Sgt. Conley his entire time with the department and was cross-trained in both narcotics and patrol.

"Sgt. Angus was 2 1/2 years old and was a very hard working canine and had quite a reputation for his keen senses and ability to find narcotics," said Whittington. "This K-9 team was very dedicated to the protection of the citizens of Dunbar."

Whittington says the city only had liability coverage on its insurance for Angus, not mortality -- so the city won't be able to recover costs associated with the K-9.

The city's one other K-9, a relative of Angus, is also cross-trained. Whittington says he's looking to get mortality insurance for that dog, and will begin looking for a replacement for Angus.

He says Conley was very upset after learning about his dog.

"It is very unfortunate that this situation has happened. Sgt. Angus will be sadly missed," said Whittington.

The Kanawha County Sheriff's Department is handling the investigation.