PHOENIX — Phoenix police released a new body camera video showing the scary moments before a K9 officer took a bullet for his human officers.
K9 Dennis was shot after a witness reported a shooting on Dec. 3 near 19th and Dunlap avenues, according to Phoenix police. They arrived on the scene at the apartment complex after a witness called 911.
When police arrived they say they found a man dead on the sidewalk and went to search what should have been a vacant apartment for the suspect.
In the body camera video, you can hear officers giving verbal commands to come out of the apartment.
After several minutes, officers plan to approach and go inside, led by K9 Dennis.
A suspect opens fire as soon as K9 Dennis and other officers enter the back room of the apartment, striking Dennis. Phoenix police say no officers fired inside the apartment.
K9 Dennis and his handler rushed to the vet while the other officers regrouped outside. Moments later, the video shows a person running out of the apartment and officers start firing at him. Police confirm that five officers fired their weapons.
Police say the man they shot and killed outside was 42-year-old Maurice Jackson.
They say Jackson ran out of the apartment showing his handgun. They also found he had a knife and brass knuckles. Police say he was taken to a fire department where he died.
Police believe Jackson was the person who shot K9 Dennis and also the suspect from the first shooting that called them to the scene. Because this was an officer-involved shooting, it's still under investigation and will go to the County Attorney's Office for review.
As for K9 Dennis, Phoenix police say he's expected to make a full recovery. He's credited with saving all the other officers on the scene that morning because he was the first to approach an armed suspect.
From Dec. 3:
