POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A Polk County Sheriff's Office K-9 is expected to recover after being shot while helping deputies arrest a wanted fugitive, though the injuries forced surgeons to amputate one of his front legs.
Sheriff Grady Judd said K-9 Ace was critically injured Thursday evening as deputies attempted to serve a warrant on 27-year-old Angel Bowers near Kathleen.
WATCH: After taking a bullet for deputies, Polk County K-9 'Ace' survives surgery
According to the sheriff, Bowers had failed to appear in court on a charge of unlawful sex with a minor. A bondsman eventually helped deputies locate him in a tent hidden in a wooded area off Chart Prine Road.
As deputies approached the tent with Ace, Judd said they repeatedly identified themselves and ordered Bowers to come out.
Instead, Judd said Bowers responded, "I've got a gun and I'm going to shoot," before opening fire.
Ace was struck almost immediately. Deputies returned fire, and Bowers was later found dead inside the tent.
Radio traffic released by the sheriff's office captures the urgency moments after the shooting, with Ace's handler calling for help.
"Get Aeromed. Get Aeromed now for my dog,” radioed Deputy Natalie Oestreich.
In the meantime, Oestreich rushed Ace to Parkway Veterinary Emergency Clinic in Lakeland, where veterinarians stabilized him before Tampa General Hospital's Aeromed helicopter flew him to the Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch.
The sheriff's office said surgeons were forced to amputate Ace's front left leg because of the severity of his injuries, but he is now in stable condition.
Ace, a 7-year-old German shepherd, has served with the Polk County Sheriff's Office since 2020.
Judd said Oestreich has remained by Ace's side throughout his recovery and described the bond between police K-9s and their handlers as something more like family than coworkers.
"The bond between a canine and their handler is like brother and sister or closer," Judd said. "This is like a family member being shot."
The sheriff's office also announced that the Wiltse Family Trust has offered to pay for Ace's veterinary care and will purchase another K-9 for the agency after Ace retires from service.
The shooting remains under investigation by the 10th Judicial Circuit Officer-Involved Deadly Incident Task Force.
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