A Colorado Springs police dog lost an eye because of wounds received this week during a shootout between officers and a bank robbery suspect.
Bosco, a 5-year-old German shepherd, can no longer be a police dog because of the injury, police said Thursday.
He was shot in the head Tuesday night outside a house on El Sereno Drive on the city’s southwest side.
Also wounded were a SWAT officer, who was shot in the arm, and the suspect, who was shot in the arm, buttocks and leg.
The officer, who wasn’t identified, was released Wednesday from Memorial Hospital. The suspect, William Allen Gregg, 43, remained in fair condition.
Veterinarians on Thursday removed bullet fragments from the dog’s head.
“Other than the lost eye, he is expected to recover as well as can be expected,” police spokesman Lt. Rafael Cintron said. “He has to retire as a police dog.”
Bosco likely will retire to his handler, Sgt. Steve Buzzell. The two have been a pair for three years, since Bosco joined the canine unit.
Robbery detectives Tuesday night tracked Gregg to the house near Cheyenne Road and South Nevada Avenue, where they planned to arrest him on felony warrants for failing to appear in court last week for three bank robbery cases.
Gregg has been charged with the three holdups and is a suspect in a fourth bank robbery, which occurred Nov. 2, said Sgt. Jeff Jensen, who heads the robbery unit.
The day of the most recent holdup, Gregg was supposed to appear in court for the three charges. When he didn’t show up, a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Two of the robberies he’s charged with occurred Aug. 4, when Chase Bank, 7190 N. Academy Blvd., and US Bank, 3525 Hartsel Drive, were hit. The third robbery was Aug. 18, when the bandit fled with cash from World Savings Bank, 1930 S. Nevada Ave. Witnesses gave a description of the robber’s SUV to police, and an officer spotted it minutes after the holdup.
The cop tried to stop the SUV, but the driver sped away and a brief pursuit ensued. The SUV crashed and rolled several times on Cheyenne Boulevard near Cresta Road before the driver fled on foot and was caught by police.
Gregg is a suspect in the Nov. 2 robbery of US Bank on Hartsel Drive.
When robbery detectives showed up at his friend’s house Tuesday, Gregg retreated to a basement bedroom. A two-hour standoff ensued, during which police said Gregg wouldn’t come out after repeated orders.
Police said Gregg fired shots from the basement, telling officers to back off. After officers threw tear gas cannisters into the basement, Gregg came out of the back of the house, shooting at police, investigators said.
Two SWAT officers shot back. The officer who was shot in the arm did not fire at the suspect, police said.
The three officers were placed on routine administrative leave. The 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office will determine if the officers were justified in firing their guns.
The DA’s office will release the names of the officers involved in the gunbattle and additional details, such as who shot whom and who shot the dog, after its investigation.
Gregg has a criminal record in Colorado that includes convictions for criminal impersonation, drug possession, animal cruelty through neglect/mistreat and driving while ability impaired.
Poor dog. Glad it lived as long as it is not in pain.
Posted by: Nightstalker
Is that the same dog that was shot during the incident where the guy was on the porch and acted like he had a gun?
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