VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Two Florida K9s were acknowledged Wednesday with Purple Hearts after each sustained gunshot wounds while subduing an armed carjacking suspect in September.
K9s Ax and Endo of the Volusia Sheriff’s Office received a Purple Heart and the Medal of Honor from Irondog K9, a non-profit organization that supports K9 teams across the country and helped cover the dogs’ medical bills, the agency said.
Ax suffered a gunshot wound in the face while tracking the armed man into a wooded area in Deltona on Sept. 11. Endo was shot in the paw and chin almost two hours later when the suspect ran out from a wood line, Law Officer reported.
Volusia Sheriff’s Office K-9 Ax, pictured left, was shot in the side of his face just after midnight, while K-9 Endo, pictured right, was shot in the paw and chin almost two hours later during separate confrontations with the suspect. (Volusia Sheriff’s Office)
Sheriff Mike Chitwood praised both Ax and Endo following the shootings, saying there was “no doubt that K9 Ax and K9 Endo took bullets that were meant for my deputies,” Fox News reported.
Ax and Endo appeared alongside their respective handlers, Deputy A.J. Davis and Deputy Brett Whitson, to receive the honors during the ceremony at the Deputy Stephen Saboda Training Center.
