Volusia County Sheriff’s Office K-9s Shot by Carjacking Suspect

Deltona, FL. — An armed carjacking suspect shot two Volusia County Sheriff’s Office K-9s on Saturday, inflicting non-life threatening injuries before being shot himself and arrested by deputies, according to VCSO.

After being shot, K-9s Ax and Endo were rushed to veterinarians by their respective handlers, deputies A.J. Davis and Brett Whitson, according to VCSO.

In two shootings around two hours apart, deputies say K-9 Ax was shot “in the side of his face,” while K-9 Endo was later struck in his paw and chin.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office shared a complication of bodycam video and helicopter views of the incident; be advised that this footage contains blood, bodily harm and foul language, and as such has been age-restricted by YouTube.

Mobile users, see video here.

VCSO updated the K-9s’ conditions in a Tweet, saying that the dogs “are right back on their feet.”

Mobile users, see tweet here.

Deputies say it all began before midnight when a stranded Lyft driver got the attention of a passing vehicle, later describing to law enforcement how he was ordered at gunpoint to hand over his minivan to a passenger, identified as 21-year-old Shedrick Singleton Jr., after being led to a remote area near Osteen.

When the minivan was spotted, deputies say Singleton left it at Deltona Gardens Apartments and ran, hiding in a wooded area.

10 minutes later, Singleton opened fire from the behind the tree line at pursuing deputies before retreating further, striking K-9 Ax.

As units from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, DeLand Police Department, VSO SWAT and Aerial Response Teams got there, Singleton was seen leaving the woods about an hour and a half later; a second gunfight resulted in K-9 Endo’s injuries, as well as in Singleton’s arrest, according to VCSO.

Singleton now faces charges of, at minimum, armed carjacking and use of a deadly weapon against a police K-9, according to VCSO.

K-9 Endo was previously shot in the neck in 2015 while responding to a domestic violence call, earning him the VSO Medal of Valor and Purple Heart, according to VCSO.

Following protocol, the four deputies and one DeLand police officer who fired their weapons will be placed on temporary, paid administrative leave while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates.

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