GRAPHIC: Florida K-9s shot in confrontations between deputies and carjacking suspect

DELTONA, Fla. (Gray News) - Two K-9s are recovering after shootings between law enforcement and an armed carjacking suspect that was captured on a deputy’s body camera, officials said.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said the suspect, 21-year-old Shedrick Singleton Jr., injured the dogs in separate shootings about two hours apart early Saturday morning.

Deputies started their search for Singleton after a Lyft driver reported a carjacking late Friday night. They found the vehicle just after midnight Saturday and tried to stop a suspect, who ran into the woods.

The sheriff’s office said Singleton shot the first K-9, Ax, during the initial pursuit. Ax ran out of the wooded area with a gunshot wound to the face.

Deputies spotted Singleton leaving the wood line about 90 minutes later, and they exchanged gunfire with the suspect. This is when K-9 Endo suffered injuries to his paw and chin.

Singleton was shot during the second confrontation, and he suffered life-threatening injuries. He faces charges of armed carjacking and use of a deadly weapon against a police K-9.

“There is no doubt that K-9 Ax and K-9 Endo took bullets that were meant for my deputies,” Sheriff Mike Chitwood said. “If the deputies would have gone into the woods, the first person to come in contact with Singleton, without a doubt, would have been shot.”

The sheriff’s office released a video on Facebook showing the moment where one of the K-9s was shot. The deputy rushed the dog to a veterinary hospital right after the shooting.

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