Franklin County (NC) Sheriff's K-9 "Major" was shot and killed Sunday during a gunfight with a robbery suspect. (Photo: Franklin County SO)
A Franklin County (NC) Sheriff’s Office K-9 died Sunday after getting shot by a man accused of stealing a car Saturday in Granville County, authorities say.
William Darius Eichelberger, 21, is charged with seven felonies and has a $250,000 bond, according to a news release from the Granville County Sheriff’s Office. More charges are pending against Eichelberger, WRAL reports.
Around 3:15 p.m. Saturday, law enforcement responded to a report of an armed robbery involving the theft of a motor vehicle. Witnesses had seen Eichelberger and the vehicle he’s accused of stealing in Antioch. Law enforcement found the vehicle on Saturday, but could not find Eichelberger.
On Sunday morning, Granville County deputies responded to a report of a fire in Antioch. Deputies determined Eichelberger could be hiding in the crawl space of a home and that he might still be armed.
Authorities established a perimeter and requested assistance from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office special response team to search the crawl space. The release states Eichelberger shot at Franklin County deputies, who also fired back at him.
K-9 "Major" was killed in the gunfight, police say. No other officers were injured.
The suspect had minor injuries. He was not shot.
