VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – On Wednesday, the public got the chance to see Ax and Endo, two K-9 officers who were shot Saturday morning after deputies say 21-year-old Shedrick Singleton Jr., ran into the wood line in Deltona after carjacking a Lyft driver at gunpoint in Sanford.
Deputy A.J. Davis keeps reliving every second of his K-9 Ax’s bravery after taking a bullet to his face while trying to take down the carjacking suspect.
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“I didn’t know how bad it was. Then he started coughing, hacking and a million things go through my mind,” said Davis. “My job was just go get him somewhere as fast as I could to make sure he can survive.”
Ax first took a bullet, then hours later, K-9 Endo, while still searching in the woods for the suspect, took gunshots to his paw and chin. Investigators said those shots were fired by the suspect before deputies returned fire.
“The decision was made that Endo was going to stop this guy,” said deputy Brett Whitson. “At the end of the day, he’s going to do what he has to do and that’s what he did.”
At a news conference Wednesday, Sheriff Mike Chitwood talked about the K-9s’ bravery and say they’ll be given honors for their service.
“The fact that they had to be pulled off after being wounded from still wanting to do their job, it’s pretty amazing,” said Chitwood.
Chitwood said Ax, in fact, was given a blood transfusion thanks to K9s with the Daytona Beach Police Department who donated blood.
In the update Wednesday, deputies said it’s their hope that both dogs will soon return to the force.
Endo will spend the next few weeks recovering from an injury to the jaw. Ax, who essentially swallowed the bullet that hit him, according to his handler, is already showing signs of improvement.
“Other than that, I mean he’s doing really well. He shows signs of himself, gets a little spunky every now and then and then kind of slows down, but he’s doing excellent, you know, regardless,” Davis said. “Again, I couldn’t tell you how much, the amount of blood that was in the back of the car, and for him to be here and, you know, he’s doing remarkably well.”
The 21-year-old suspect from Orlando is facing charges but remains in the hospital in critical condition.