Dax
I, Officer Chris Alberini work with my K9, Dax, He saved me from being shot when he climbed into an attic where a suspect was hiding with a shotgun. If Dax hadn’t been there, I’d be dead. On July 2, 2013 I was called to assist in the search for the suspect, who had a suspended driver’s license and an active arrest warrant. I called into the house the suspect had entered and told him to come out or I would send in Dax. When no one responded, Dax and I started to search the house. Dax found a ceiling hatch leading to an attic and alerted me. I yelled up to the suspect to come down. The man did not respond. I hoisted Dax into the attic, where he bit the suspect’s leg. I followed, carrying a flashlight and found Dax fighting with the suspect. That’s when the man started reaching for a shotgun from his left side. I tried fighting for the weapon and drew my service weapon and shot him twice. The man would have likely fired at me immediately if Dax hadn’t gone into the attic first. The suspect’s shotgun was loaded with five rounds of ammunition. He was waiting in the attic for the police officer to turn a flashlight on him and he was going to shoot. Investigators later learned that the suspect had texted his attorney and girlfriend about killing police. We all owe our lives to this brave K9.
