FLORIDA -- It was around 4 a.m. when Phillip O’Shea, 46, robbed a Palm Beach bar back on May 12th, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, a crime that quickly spiraled into a high-speed chase down Okeechobee Boulevard to an industrial area just west of Interstate 95, where he crashed his car, then began a shootout in which one deputy was hurt diving for cover.
O’Shea fled and carjacked a woman’s vehicle near Palm Beach International Airport. That afternoon, deputies found him in Jupiter, leading to the shootout in a parking lot near the Wood Duck apartments on Military Trail south of Toney Penna Drive.
Though O’Shea ultimately got away, police spotted the man later that day in Jupiter, where he would be killed by authorities — but he wasn’t the only one that took a bullet, reported The Palm Beach Post.
Casper, a German Shepherd K9 deputy with the Sheriff’s Office, was shot by the suspect, who was targeting the officers. The bullet wounded his haunches, according to WSAV.
“He definitely did his job,” Cpl. John Sylvester, Casper’s handler, said during a news conference. “When the round came, it was meant for us. Unfortunately, he was the one that took the round.”
The bullet narrowly missed hitting a vital area, said Michele Tucker, the veterinary center’s managing director of patient services.
“The bullet very fortunately entered the muscle over the hip,” she said. “It very easily could have gone another half-inch and shattered his pelvis. His recovery is going to be so much quicker and less complex because there was no bone involved.”
As a result, the brave pup was awarded a purple heart Wednesday by the U.S. Marshals Service, a high honor usually awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving.
PBSO @PBCountySheriff on Twitter, November 15, 2017
K9 Casper awarded The Purple 💜 for taking a bullet meant for his partner. This heroic furry friend has won the hearts of many #PBSOproud
(
Miami Herald - November 20, 2017)
