On February 28th, 2020 at 10:43 pm, K9 Chief and his handler Officer Nick Stewart were assisting detectives while attempting to arrest a suspect wanted on several robberies. After a lengthy pursuit, the suspect abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot with a firearm in hand. Officer Stewart and K9 Chief quickly followed the suspect giving him commands to drop the firearm. The suspect turned and fired his weapon, striking K9 Chief in the left eye. After the suspect was secured, K9 Chief was quickly removed from the scene. Officer Stewart had dispatch make an emergency call to our veterinarian who met Officer Stewart and K9 Chief at her office. K9 Chief was in serious condition and had lost a large amount of blood. K9 Chief was airlifted to the Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital for emergency care. K9 Chief has spent the last four days in the ICU at WSU. The veterinarians performed surgery to remove his left eye, which was damaged beyond repair. K9 Chief also had a significant amount of shrapnel in his neck and throat area from the bullet, along with a broken jaw. K9 Chief's recovery will take several months, and numerous follow up visits. However, he is alive and has a very good prognosis due to the outstanding work of Officer Stewart, our local veterinarian and the hardworking staff at WSU. K9 Chief is considered a HERO by all those involved in the incident. He took a bullet directed at Officer Stewart, possibly saving Officer Stewart's life. K9 Chief is the epitome of what a great K9 should be and we are all praying he can return to service and continue to serve the Moses Lake community. Thank you so much, the support has been overwhelming! The funds generated through this account will go to hlep pay medical bills, transportation costs and recovery costs for K9 Chief. They will also go toward possible retraining of K9 Chief, should he not be able to continue as a K9 Officer, as well as to purchase a new K9 his replacement, if necessary.

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