A Jonesboro Police Department K-9 that gained fame about a year ago after he was shot five times by a suspect, recovered from his injuries and returned to duty two months later, has died.
German shepherd Gabo, 8, became ill and died Thursday, according to the Jonesboro Police Department’s Facebook page. A memorial will be held Monday.
Gabo made headlines when he assisted in a police SWAT team response Dec. 11, 2018, at an apartment building in Jonesboro. A maintenance employee had been shot and injured by a 56-year-old female tenant after the employee had gone to her apartment for a wellness check, police said.
After a five-hour stand-off with the woman, police sent Gabo into the apartment, and she shot him five times at point-blank range, according to police. SWAT team members followed Gabo into the apartment and fatally shot the woman. Gabo was wearing a bullet-resistant vest, but one of the rounds pierced his liver, according to The Associated Press. Nonetheless, he survived his injuries and rejoined his partner in February last year.
The Police Department recognized Gabo and his partner, investigator Erik Johnson, as its 2019 Officer of the Year, and CrimeStoppers of Jonesboro honored them as 2019 Persons of the Year.
In a Facebook post, Jonesboro police said they are grieving with the K-9 unit and with Johnson over the loss of “his irreplaceable partner.”