K-9 Deputy 'Justice' on the mend after being stabbed in Waukesha County standoff
Waukesha County Sheriff's Department K-9 Deputy Justice
WAUKESHA COUNTY -- After hours of negotiations, a standoff in Waukesha County came to a head and an end in about a 30-minute span. The incident left one man shot, a woman in custody, and a sheriff's K-9 stabbed.
"During the struggle it is believed the female stabbed a Waukesha County K-9," said Waukesha County Sheriff Eric Severson.
Deputy Justice is one of several K-9 cops featured on the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department's Facebook page; from his eighth birthday party this past April, to fun posts during the holidays doing his best reindeer impression, to "Talk like a Pirate Day."
Tuesday night, June 4, was not one of fun for Justice. Law enforcement shut down I-94 and State Highway 67 for more than five hours while they tried to talk the suspects into surrendering.
Standoff near Oconomowoc (PHOTO: Abe Van Dyke)
Police got over a loudspeaker shortly before 10 p.m., telling the people in the van to come out. Moments later, gunfire erupted and a man was shot.
Standoff near Oconomowoc
About 30 minutes later, police say the woman ran away from police only to be taken down by K-9 Deputy Justice. That's when officials say Justice was injured.
The K-9 was rushed to Wisconsin Veterinary Referral Center (WVRC) in Waukesha for emergency care.
"Let's say with a stabbing injury you could have leakage of air from your lungs which causes a buildup that's very life-threatening," said Jay Gladden, veterinarian.
Jay Gladden
Wisconsin Veterinary Referral Center (WVRC)
Jay Gladden is a veterinarian at WVRC, who specializes in taking care of animals in critical need. Gladden says treating animals, especially working dogs like Justice, can pose some difficulties with their often stoic nature.
"They're used to being very calm in the line of fire and on duty, so they're really adaptive to hiding injuries. When they come in we really have to rely on the handler to kind of describe what happened," Gladden said.
Fortunately, the injuries weren't severe enough for Justice to require a long hospital stay. He was released Wednesday morning, June 5.
The sheriff's department shared a photo on Facebook Wednesday, a well-wisher dropped off a "get well soon" doggie bag of goodies for, no doubt, the good dog.