By Joanna Putman
Police1
GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. — The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office has released body camera footage showing the officer-involved shooting of a man who stabbed a K-9, WSPA reported.
On May 13, Greenville County deputies, working with the Department of Homeland Security, were serving a warrant, according to the report. Video shows deputies arriving at the scene to find the suspect walking down the street.
In the video, deputies can be heard ordering the suspect to show his hands and warned him he would be bitten by the K-9. The suspect did not comply with deputies’ commands, leading to the deployment of K-9 Micky.
Video then shows the suspect grabbing and wrestling with the K-9 before drawing a knife and stabbing him.
Deputies initially attempted to subdue the suspect using bean bags and a TASER, along with gunfire, but the gunfire did not strike him. The suspect, still armed with the knife, fled across the street to a parking lot, which was open at the time. When the suspect turned and walked toward the deputies with the knife, three officers fired their service weapons.
The suspect was taken to a hospital by EMS, while K-9 Micky was transported to an emergency veterinarian for surgery, according to the report. The K-9 has since shown significant improvement and has resumed training with his handler.
The suspect faces charges of aggravated breach of peace, cruelty to a police dog and resisting arrest with a deadly weapon, according to the report. Sheriff Hobart Lewis stated that the three deputies who fired their weapons were justified in using deadly force according to the sheriff’s office use of force policy.
