It Takes Two
Est. Read Time: 10 Mins.
This story is a creative retelling based on secondhand accounts. While it strives to reflect the key events with accuracy, some details may differ from the exact occurrences. The views expressed are solely those of K9 Storm Inc. and do not necessarily represent the views or official positions of the Richland County Sheriff's Department.
The Call
“Auto break-in in progress, multiple suspects, potentially armed and dangerous.”
Deputy Hodge receives the call in the dead of night, the air is thick with humidity as he patrols the shadowed streets of Richland County, South Carolina. In this county, the rules of engagement are clear - break-ins are a biteable offense. If the suspects flee and refuse to surrender, K9 Kobe will be deployed.
In the back of the cruiser, Kobe, a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois, paces eagerly. With a quick glance at his partner, Deputy Hodge feels a rush of adrenaline. He flips on the siren and the oppressive darkness is pierced by the sharp flash of blue lights as they race off into the night.
Deputy Hodge & K9 Kobe, Richland County Sheriff’s Department
The Scene
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) covers approximately 772 square miles of South Carolina, from the busy urban core of Columbia to the quiet rural roads lined with humble brick houses. RCSD deputies often drive long distances to protect their citizens wherever they are called.
It takes Deputy Hodge about 20 minutes to arrive at the scene, but by then, the suspects are gone.
Not on foot, but by pickup truck.
With the doors left unlocked, the keys left in the ignition, and a loaded weapon stored in the glovebox, the suspects have struck grand larceny gold. They steal the truck and start cruising the streets in their new wheels, looking to cause more chaos.
Deputy Hodge meets up with another K9 handler in the area, Deputy Washington, and his K9 partner, Sonny, a 4-year-old Malinois equally ready for the task. Together, they canvas the area and are successful in locating the truck.
Deputy Hodge hits the siren once again and a brief chase ensues until the suspects ditch the truck and bail out on foot through a nearby residential area. The driver and passenger split up to try to evade capture. One goes left. The other goes right.
Deputy Hodge and Washington decide to pursue the driver, together, first. The severity of the situation calls for teamwork, not separation.
Commands are issued for the driver to stop running. He refuses to comply and proceeds to rapidly scamper around a house to the backyard, leaping over a short fence in the process. Deputy Hodge and Kobe pace the driver, while Deputy Washington circles around the opposite side of the house to help contain and trap him.
Hot on the trail, Deputy Hodge and Kobe clear the first fence effortlessly. But as they land, they rapidly approach a second fence. With no light to guide their steps, they misjudge the distance to the second fence and crash down in unison onto the sharp, rusted chain-link top. The fence collapses beneath their weight and a jolt of pain shoots up through Deputy Hodge’s leg. He glances over—Kobe’s belly is draped over the fence’s jagged wires as he hits the ground.
The impact rattles Kobe off the fence. He quickly brushes off the fall, finds his footing, and continues toward the backyard.
Deputy Hodge pushes through the pain of his cut leg and dusts himself off too, just in time to see Kobe rounding the corner, laser-focused on the fleeing suspect that is now just out of view.
Then, without warning, a single gunshot pierces through the night.
Deputy Hodge rounds the corner just in time to see the flash of a second muzzle blast from the suspect’s handgun.
Without hesitation, Deputy Hodge draws his weapon and returns fire.
Deputy Washington & K9 Sonny, Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
The driver is hit twice and drops his weapon. He proceeds to crawl behind a nearby shed. Deputy Washington leaps over the adjacent fence and rushes in to put the suspect in handcuffs.
The scene is secure but Deputy Hodge’s mind is buzzing.
Where’s Kobe?
They search the backyard.
Nothing.
They check the fence line.
Nothing.
Did he take off down the street?
Deputy Hodge turns back to his patrol vehicle, ready to check the road in search of Kobe. He knew he could be anywhere, but prayed that he wouldn’t be found dying in a ditch.
Then his eyes catch a familiar shape—the outline of a tail.
It’s Kobe.
Sitting by the back of cruiser, waiting to load up.
Blood seeps from his paws, pooling on the pavement beneath him. In that moment, Deputy Hodge knows for certain that Kobe has been shot. Yet, through all the chaos, Kobe remains calm and appears to be fully aware of his surroundings.
The blue glow of the cruiser’s lights that were still illuminated, had guided him home to safety.
Deputy Hodge & Kobe at the emergency vet.
The Aftermath
With more officers now on scene, Deputy Hodge and Kobe climb into the back of their cruiser, and Deputy Washington rushes them to the emergency vet. Kobe is bleeding badly from his front paws. Deputy Hodge does his best to bandage them, holding them tight to stem the blood loss.
At the animal hospital, Kobe is stabilized, and the vet performs a blood sweep to check for additional injuries. Thankfully, no further damage is found. His body is in perfect condition, without even the slightest sign of bruising or discomfort anywhere else. After sedation, Kobe undergoes a full-body x-ray, which turns up negative, and the veterinary team begins mending his wounds.
It’s believed the scenario played out like this: as Kobe closed in on the driver, he leaped in anticipation of a bite. Mid-flight, the driver fired his weapon, and the bullet tore through Kobe's outstretched right paw, continuing through to his left, before lodging in his leg.
The vet skillfully removed shrapnel from Kobe’s right paw and proceeded to extract the bullet from his left leg. Like a professional athlete, he had to undergo underwater therapy to rebuild his strength. After months of recovery, Kobe has able to return to active duty; however, he will walk with a plate and four pins in his paws for the rest of his life. Deputy Hodge and the RCSD must continually monitor him for signs of regression or discomfort which would lead to early retirement.
The driver of the vehicle, shot and subdued by Deputy Hodge, was arrested and charged with attempted murder, grand larceny, and unlawful injury to a police dog. The passenger managed to briefly evade capture, but with the help of the RCSD Fugitive Task Force, he was located 12 miles away from where the pair had originally ditched the truck. He too faces a whole slew of similar charges.
For months, that was the end of the story. Kobe healed, and his equipment was set aside.
But something nagged at Deputy Hodge. He kept replaying the body cam footage in his mind, searching for something that didn’t quite add up.
What happened to the second bullet?
Six Months Later
Sheriff Leon Lott & George Sensor
Richland County is blessed to have incredible community support, and for many years, their entire team has been protected through the kindness of Sue and George Sensor, the owners of Sensor Enterprises. George runs a successful host of McDonald’s franchises in the area and cares deeply for the wellbeing of the RCSD dogs and their handlers. In recognition of his incredible generosity, Sheriff Leon Lott even had the street leading up to the kennels renamed as “George Sensor Blvd.”, a tribute to the man who has put his heart and soul into the safety of the team.
On the night of the shooting, Kobe was fully equipped with his custom-fit K9 Storm Aerial Insertion Vest. He wears it on every call, even in the sweltering South Carolina heat. After the incident, the vest was heavily damaged—the lycra panel was torn, the binding was shredded in different places, and the underbelly impalement protection had clearly endured some sort of serious impact. While Kobe was recovering, the vest was set aside with the intention for it to be eventually sent back to us at K9 Storm for repairs.
When Kobe was ready to return to duty, wearing a spare K9 Storm Vest from a retired K9, Deputy Hodge asked where his original vest was. It was then discovered that amidst all the drama of the shooting, the vest was left in storage and never sent back to us. It remained untouched, in the exact same condition as the day that Kobe took it off.
When we received the vest back, we carefully began our forensic examination. This is standard practice for all K9 Storm Vests that are returned for repairs, especially those involved in major incidents. It’s imperative for us to have an opportunity to see how the materials we select perform and it helps us continually improve our equipment.
Starting with the underbelly impalement protection, we found slashes consistent with Kobe’s fall onto the sharp chain-link fence. Moving to the lycra panel, we saw signs of wear too, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Then we noticed it—an inconspicuous, almost invisible hole in the seam of the vest.
We proceeded to unzip it to reveal an identical hole on the inside where the specialty embroidery can be found on the facing, right above Kobe’s name. It was almost as if someone had taken a cigarette butt and singed a perfect circle through the faceplate.
Carefully, we cut open the interior pocket to not disturb the contents of the panel.
Then in that instant, we stood in shock.
The second 9mm round, flattened into a mushroom cap, was shot directly through the K9 Storm panel sticker and lodged between two layers of ballistic fabric, directly above Kobe’s spine. The path of the bullet was angled down toward Kobe’s heart.
At first, we were stunned by the discovery, but then the full story started to unfold. Based on the bullet’s trajectory and the forensic evidence, it was clear:
The driver fired the first shot as Kobe leaped to apprehend him, the bullet going through the bottom of his paws. But the second shot, the one Deputy Hodge had seen in plain sight, was fired as Kobe’s back was turned away from the suspect. Kobe had been shot returning to safety.
The driver, in an act of pure malice, had fired at a dog no longer a threat to him. It showed not just the danger the driver posed, but the disregard he had for life, either human or animal. Without question, Kobe’s heroics helped save Deputy Hodge’s life that night.
In the end, we know that working dogs like Kobe are put in incredibly difficult situations to help keep us safe. They love openly and will stop at nothing to protect us. It’s our responsibility to do everything in our power to allow them to keep fighting.
Because sometimes it’s not enough to take a bullet for your partner.
Sometimes…
It takes two.