A four-legged officer not only helped his human colleagues track down a suspected killer, but also took a bullet to the head, DeKalb County police said Friday.
The K-9 officer, Indi, is expected to lose an eye as a result of his work on last night’s DeKalb police confrontation that left an officer dead.
Despite his severe injuries, it’s possible Indi could eventually return to duty, Chief James Conroy said Friday.
“The dog was very helpful in apprehending and locating the subject in this case,” Conroy said.
That subject, Brandon Taylor, is accused of running from Officer Edgar Flores and then firing multiple gunshots, killing the 24-year-old officer Thursday evening. When Indi came upon Taylor, he was also shot before other officers shot and killed Taylor.
Indi was taken to an emergency veterinarian for treatment, Conroy said. He was in stable condition Friday.
The police pup's latest heroics are not the first for Indi, 7, who has been with the department for five years. Indi's work was featured in November 2016 on ajc.com when he helped catch a suspect in a brutal home invasion.
Russell Erickson nearly died when he was beaten and cut in his Clarkston home. Thanks to Indi, it took officers about five minutes to track the suspect, who wasn’t far from Erikcson’s home.
“You would think (the suspect) would get as far away as possible as quickly as possible,” DeKalb County police officer Norman Larsen told Channel 2. “When we came across him, it’s one of those (moments) I’ll remember my entire career because the dog did something amazing that day.”
Both Larsen and Indi were later honored as officers of the year at a ceremony hosted by the North Decatur Lions Club.
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