MARION COUNTY, S.C. — A reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person who shot a K9 in Marion County, S.C.
The sheriff's office K9 unit posted about the incident on Facebook on Tuesday:
Earlier this evening, our playful pup, K9 Kilo, escaped his enclosure (wearing his orange collar designating him a Marion County Sheriff’s K9) to sniff around the farm. Kilo was found soon after and had been mercilessly shot. K9 Kilo has been rushed to North Carolina State University for surgery. Marion County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the senseless shooting. We ask that anyone with information regarding the identity and whereabouts of the shooter please call 911. We also ask for your prayers for Kilo and the entire K9 Team. Kilo is family.
On Wednesday, the sheriff's office posted about a reward being offered in the case. As of Thursday, the amount was raised to $1,750.
UPDATE: Reward is now $1500! Concerned citizen, Donny Gerald, has provided a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the subject(s) involved in the shooting of our beloved K9 Kilo.
Thank you, Donny and Margaret!
The original post had more than 2,400 comments and around 4,700 shares as of Thursday evening. Many people shared their outrage about the incident.
"This person should be found and charged with attempted murder on a police officer," said one man.
Others had more questions about the details of what happened.
"I have mixed feelings here. You don't know what the K9 was doing on the farm when shot. It doesn't says who's farm," said one woman. "If the handlers, departments, or someone elses. A farmer has the right to shoot a dog to protect their livestock/livelihood. It sucks it was a K9. But not enough of the story to know what should happen."
The K9 unit also provided an update on Kilo's condition Wednesday:
UPDATE: K9 Kilo was stable through the night and is undergoing further testing to determine course of treatment. Surgery is on hold at this time. We will keep you up to date on his condition.
The K9 unit said Kilo had surgery on his left leg Thursday afternoon at NC State Veterinary Hospital and posted another update in the evening:
K9 Kilo is finally out of surgery! The surgical team is confident in their reconstruction of Kilo’s femur. He has a long recovery ahead but could possibly return to tracking by the end of the year. Our top priority is his health! We can’t wait to get him home. I see a lot of treats and hugs in his future.
A GoFundMe has been set up for anyone who wishes to send donations as Kilo recovers. Details have not been released on the incident, as the investigation is still ongoing.
Anyone who knows anything about the shooting is asked to call the sheriff's office at 843-423-8216.