Update:
Original story below:
A beloved California Highway Patrol K-9 was home recovering Tuesday, having been shot while assisting police in a standoff situation in Beaumont a day earlier.
K9 "Ranger," a 2 1/2 year old Dutch Shepard, was shot in his right shoulder by an armed man who was fending off police responding to a domestic disturbance call on Morgan Avenue, south of Brookside, Monday, according to CHP Spokesman Officer Darren Meyer.
Ranger had been sent in to coax the man, identified as 38-year-old Chandler Cardwell, out when he "wasn't obeying the officers' commands," according to sheriff's spokesman Deputy Albert Martinez.
"At that point, once the K-9 was inside the garage, there was one gunshot that was heard, and the K-9 was hit by the suspect," Martinez said.
That bullet first hit Ranger's right shoulder, and then "fragmented," injuring his rear paw, according to Meyer.
Ranger was taken to a local veterinary clinic, where doctors "had to amputate his rear toe," Meyer added. He was able to go home from the veterinary hospital that same night.
According to Meyer, the canine's recovery is going well, though it's not yet clear if he'll be able to remain a K9 on the CHP.
“His ability to go back to work is questionable," Meyer told Banning-Beaumont Patch, adding that for now, Ranger is "at home resting comfortably."
Ranger's handler, CHP Officer Brice Murille, was home Tuesday with his partner helping keep him comfortable, according to Meyer. They've been partners for the last year.
