NEWBERRY COUNTY, S.C. — Authorities say a suspect is wounded, and a K-9 is dead after being shot during a confrontation at a home near Prosperity on Tuesday morning.
The Newberry County Sheriff's Office said deputies and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) agents were serving a felony warrant against a fugitive in the Prosperity area off Gravel Road near the Saluda River, which is in the Blacksgate neighborhood. Deputies said they found the man hiding inside the home of a family member after the family member told law enforcement the suspect was not in the house.
"This particular K9, brave," Newberry Sheriff Lee Foster said while teary eyed and emotional.
At some point, authorities said a law enforcement K-9, identified as Coba, confronted the suspect inside the home, along with a deputy and SLED agents. Authorities said the suspect pulled out a gun and fired at the K-9, wounding the dog. The other officers then returned fire, hitting the suspect.
"Had the dog not done that, we would have had some seriously inured deputies if not dead deputies or SLED agents," continued Foster.
The suspect was taken to an area trauma center for treatment. The sheriff's department said they had no update on his condition, and SLED's update didn't provide one. The female family member of the suspect, who foster identified as his mother, was taken into custody. Several other deputies were treated for minor cuts.
SLED later confirmed that Coba had died. The four-year-old Belgian Malinois mix joined SLED in 2021 and had served on the agency's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team and K-9 tracking team. Coba served alongside Special Agent Richard "Cole" Powell and lived with his family.
The Lexington County Sheriff's Department has been called in to assist in the investigation.