DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A DeKalb County police dog that was shot in the head while hunting down a suspect accused of shooting and killing a DeKalb officer has been released from a veterinary hospital, police said.
K-9 officer Indi, 7, lost his right eye after being shot above his right ear Thursday afternoon, DeKalb County police said in a news release Sunday.
Brandon Taylor is accused of shooting Indi after shooting and killing Officer Edgar Flores, 24, following a traffic stop, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Taylor was shot and killed by responding officers after he shot Indi.
The incident happened around 5 p.m., so evening commute traffic delayed how quickly Indi could get to the hospital, the release said. Sandy Springs police helped by holding traffic at intersections and clearing roadways to help speed up the critically injured dog’s transport.
Indi was removed from the scene by his handler, Officer Norman Larsen, and was taken to the Blue Pearl Emergency Pet Hospital in Sandy Springs, the release said.
DeKalb officers held a vigil for Indi Thursday night at the hospital, which was also attended by K-9 handlers from Sandy Springs, Brookhaven and Doraville, the release said.
Aside from losing his eye, Indi is expected to make a full recovery, the release said. On Friday, DeKalb police Chief James Conroy said Indi could eventually return to duty.
“The dog was very helpful in apprehending and locating the subject in this case,” Conroy said.
Indi has been with the department for five years. In that span, he helped catch a suspect in a brutal home invasion, which was featured on ajc.com in November 2016.