A man suspected of killing a woman in a Lemoore, CA, domestic violence case died Sunday in a shootout with authorities, but not before a Kings County sheriff's dog was shot, reports the Fresno Bee.
No officers were injured, authorities said. The K-9 was taken by a California Highway Patrol helicopter for treatment at a Fresno veterinary clinic, where the dog was reported to be in stable condition and expected to survive.
The incident began to unfold about 2:30 p.m. when Lemoore police received a call of shots fired at a home in the 600 block of Cabrillo Street, Cmdr. Mike Kendall said. First-responding officers found a woman dead in the home.
Witnesses reported that a man was seen fleeing in a Dodge Charger. Hanford Police Department officers later spotted the car in Hanford and performed a PIT maneuver to end a pursuit.
Still, the man driving the Charger refused to surrender, Kings County Sheriff’s Cmdr. Mark Bevens said, and deputies sent the dog toward the car. That’s when the man got out and opened fire, hitting the dog.
Deputies and one Hanford police officer returned fire, killing the man.
It was not immediately clear what sparked the deadly incident at the home.
