By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph police dog, K-9 Max, lost his life late on June 21st of 2021 and with that sacrifice likely saved the lives of St. Joseph police officers.
Max’s handler, Officer Lucas Winder, will never forget Max chasing, then attacking Valdez McDonald, 24 at the time, as McDonald fled from 5108 Barbara Street to avoid arrest. Max continued his attack even after McDonald shot and fatally wounded the police dog.
“I think that was the most valiant, I don’t know if that’s even a good word for it, the bravest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Winder tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post as we wrap up our three-part series on efforts to pass Max’s Law.
Winder says McDonald was heavily armed and seemingly gave up only after his assault rifle jammed after he shot Max.
“So, he had every intention that day to kill whoever he could,” according to Winder. “Fortunately, Max was there to stop that. I’m still a firm believer if we weren’t there as a team that day, we probably would have some officers lost that day.”
That evening started innocently enough. Winder got a call from his sergeant, asking that he bring Max to the south end as the Special Response Team served a warrant. It soon grew tense when officers learned more about the situation.
The mother of McDonald had called police, stating McDonald had beaten her with a two-by-four and threatened his grandmother. McDonald had barricaded himself inside the residence. He had prepared for a confrontation; a violent one.
Winder and Max set up behind the house. Winder saw McDonald jump through a window and out the screened-in porch, attempting to escape through an alley. Winder saw McDonald was armed with an assault weapon. He worried McDonald would find cover and begin firing at officers. In a split-second decision, Winder let Max loose without a command, knowing Max could sense what to do.
Max chased McDonald, caught up with him, and attacked.
McDonald fired a single .223 round into Max’s shoulder. The bullet lodged in the police dog’s chest. Max, though mortally wounded, continued his attack, not stopping. McDonald’s rifle then jammed. He surrendered.
It was only after officers cuffed McDonald and led him off that Winder heard a yelp and knew Max was suffering. Winder went to his dog, found the wound, but saw no exit hole. He put Max in his patrol car and sped off to an emergency veterinarian in North Kansas City.
Max was too severely wounded to save, though the vets at Blue Pearl worked for hours, attempting to save his life.
Winder firmly believes Max saved the lives of St. Joseph police officers when he confronted McDonald, who had four 30-round magazines tied together with spacers so he could fire 120-t0-130 rounds without stopping.
“I’m thankful that I had him,” Winder says of Max. “I’ll never have a way to repay him. But the best I can do is continue to talk about his legacy and what he had done for us and our department and this community”
Winder says losing Max was like losing an old friend.
“It’s bittersweet, because I know our time together was of the highest quality, but it was cut short.”
Winder says Max has left a legacy, a legacy he hopes is not just confined to the St. Joseph Police Department and the St. Joseph community.
“I think that Max’s Law is the legacy of losing Max,” Winder says. “He was taken from us too soon. However, his loss has been the conduit for change in Missouri. That’s my hope.”
The Missouri General Assembly considers Max’s Law for the third year this legislative session. The measure ran out of time two years ago and fell to a gubernatorial veto last year when Gov. Mike Parson vetoed the anti-crime package that contained Max’s Law on an unrelated matter.
McDonald was sentenced to four years in prison for shooting and killing Max. He received another eight years when prosecutors enhanced his sentence by adding the charge of armed criminal action.
Winder hopes this is the year Max’s Law passes the legislature and is signed into law by the governor, preserving Max’s legacy and honoring the sacrifice he made, because to Winder, Max wasn’t just a dog.
“I’ve heard that a couple of times over the years, well he was just a dog, what’s the big deal?” Winder says. “No. He was much more than a dog, much more than a dog.”
Click HERE for Part One: Remembering Max
Click HERE for Part Two: Preserving Max's Legacy
You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.