IMPD identifies officers who shot man accused of stabbing police dog
Update: Indianapolis Metropolitan Police identified the officers involved as 21-year veteran Officer Zachary Taylor and 15-year veteran Officer Scott Hartman. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police in a tweet Tuesday said Ringo the police dog was released from the emergency vet and is now recovering. More information has been released about the suspect in the alleged break-in.
A man has been arrested for his alleged role in stabbing an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department dog three times during a suspected break-in Friday at a south side auto repair shop. IMPD officers shot the man — the third time officers have shot someone in the past month.
The man remains in the hospital as of Tuesday and was listed to be in stable condition.
The K9 dog stabbed in the same incident was reported to be in stable condition early Saturday and was released from a veterinary hospital Tuesday.
The call initially came in as a break-in at an auto repair shop on West Raymond Street just before 8 p.m. Friday, police said. The business owner said he could see someone at the front desk of the building via a security camera with a live feed, police said.
Officer Samone Burris said that officers told the suspected burglar to surrender, then entered the business. Using keys from the business owner, the officers went to the lobby area and found the suspect near the front desk and told him to surrender.
Police said at that point, one K9 officer moved to an inner door in the office to stand from a different position. A K9 named Ringo was then released.
The man reportedly stabbed Ringo, and at least one K9 officer fired their gun, striking the man. No officers were injured.
Police said the man got back to his feet and walked toward the front desk after the shooting while officers told him to stop. Another K9 officer tased him, and he fell to the ground. He was then taken into custody.
"IMPD officers respond to business and burglary alarms and residential alarms often," Burris said. "Many times it is nothing. This time it was something. Officers set up a perimeter, they gave themselves time and they did what they were trained to do."
Having security cameras in place and a business representative at the scene "allowed us to do things right," she said.
Brandon Ramirez, 24, the man police said they found inside the business is facing charges of burglary, resisting law enforcement and cruelty to a law enforcement animal, pending additional charges by the Marion County Prosecutors Office.
The officer who fired their gun has been placed on administrative leave, as is standard in a police shooting. The shooting will be reviewed by the department's Internal Affairs unit. A criminal investigation is being conducted by the Critical Incident Response Team.
When the criminal investigation concludes, the civilian-majority Use of Force board will review the shooting at a hearing.
It's the third time in a month Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers have shot a person. In the other two shootings — one stemming from a traffic stop and the other a standoff with a mentally ill person with a machete — the men died.
The first of the fatal shootings, the Aug. 3 death of Gary Harrell, prompted clergy to call for the resignation of Indianapolis Police Chief Randal Taylor.
Asked early Saturday about the spate of shootings by officers, Burris said: "It's very important to focus on the incident that occurred here today. And what occurred here today was a police service dog was injured, a police service dog doing its job ... ."
Deadly encounter: A snack run to a west-side gas station ended into a double killing, court records say
John Tufts covers evening breaking and trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy police shoot man and police K9 stabbed in possible break-in
