“His handler told him he was sorry and that he loved him before sending his K9 into danger”
A five-hour standoff at an apartment complex ends in gunfire along with two people killed, and a K9 is shot.
Police spent hours trying to convince a 56-year-old female to surrender after shooting a maintenance man at her complex. The woman wouldn’t give up and they were afraid she’d shoot someone else, so they decided to call in the K9 unit.
Officer Gabo, an 8-year-old German shepherd was on duty that day and the only dog wearing a vest. He was supposed to be training but instead, he responded with his handler to a “shots fired” call and reported that a man had been shot.
Gabo’s handler had a premonition that Gabo would be hurt that day and even had a fellow officer call the vet before sending in his dog. But they had a job to do so he removed him from his truck after telling him he was sorry and that he loved him, he sent Gabo into the apartment the suspect was in.
When Gabo entered, he went down a short hall and was met by the shooter. She pointed the gun at Gabo and shot him five times. A short time later, she was also killed.
Gabo was rushed to the vet, where he was taken to surgery. His partner waited with him and after he was out of surgery, he stayed at the vet with him throughout the night.
Gabo managed to survive the shooting because of his vet team and the bulletproof and stab-resistant vest he was wearing that day, thanks to the donation of it.
The incident hit his handler hard. It was made even worse since he knew the danger, he was sending Gabo into. But he was grateful Gabo survived and he called the organization, Vested Interest, which was responsible for gifting him the vest he wore and shared the story.
Once Gabo recovered, he got to meet the people responsible for providing his vest. Thanks to Vested Interest, Gabo is now back on the job wearing his protective vest and can continue to do his job of saving lives.
Since not all departments can afford vests, organizations like Vested Interest, appreciate the support of their mission. Because of them, not only did Gabo survive, but he also saved the lives of the other officers who responded to the call that night.
Unfortunately, the shooter was not so lucky but thankfully was stopped from shooting anyone else that day. We’re so glad Gabo quickly recovered from his injuries and was able to return to work and do all the things he loves to do.
We hope you enjoyed his amazing survival story. As always, please feel free to share with your friends.