A K9 officer in Florida truly earned the title of “man’s best friend” after police say he took a bullet meant for his handler during an armed robbery last week.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO), the incident began early last Friday morning when Phillip O’Shea, 46, robbed a bar in West Palm Beach at gunpoint around 4 a.m.
Bartenders dialled 911, and nearby deputies were able to respond within minutes of the call.
“We were lucky. We were very lucky,” pub owner Donna Duggan told The Palm Beach Post. “We’ve been here seven years and we’ve never had a problem. Never, ever, ever.”
A high-speed pursuit developed after police said O’Shea carjacked a woman and fled to nearby Jupiter, Florida. O’Shea eventually crashed his car in the parking lot of an industrial park, and then opened fire on deputies as they arrived on the scene.
“Suspect Phillip O’Shea, again fired shots at the deputies while we were attempting to apprehend him,” police said in a statement posted to Facebook. Unfortunately, there was one casualty among the responding officers.
“PBSO K9 Casper was shot while protecting his handler,” police said.
In a later tweet, police said Casper was hit in the upper left thigh by a bullet “meant for his K9 partner.”
Casper was taken to Palm Beach Veterinary Specialists for emergency surgery shortly thereafter. Luckily, the bullet missed Casper’s vital organs and veterinarians were able to remove the bullet from inside his body.
“He’s on antibiotics and is walking fairly well, all things considered,” said Michele Tucker, the veterinary centre’s managing director of patient services, in a video released by the department updating Casper’s condition (see above).
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As seen in the video, Casper was able to walk out of the vet’s office Saturday afternoon under his own power and is expected to make a full recovery.
Police say O’Shea was himself shot and killed by deputies in the Friday morning shootout. According to information released by the PBSO, he had a lengthy criminal history including an outstanding warrant for his arrest in North Carolina.
All the officers involved in Friday’s shooting have been put on administrative leave, as is standard department procedure for officer-involved shootings. Their identities – outside of Casper – have not been released.