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The police dog who was shot in Northland on Tuesday received serious jaw wounds, police confirmed.
A man, who was wanted on firearms and cannabis charges, was also shot three times by police and rushed to hospital after the incident in the rural settlement of Tangowahine.
Superintendent Tony Hill said Wednesday that investigations into the incident were ongoing.
Ricky Wilson / Stuff
The shot police dog arrives at the Veterinary Specialist Group on the Unitec campus in Mt Albert on Tuesday.
“The police would like to acknowledge the messages of support received overnight from the community regarding the welfare of the police dog,” he said.
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“Today, the dog will undergo further evaluations by veterinary specialists at Unitec in Mt Albert regarding possible surgeries and recovery.”
A spokeswoman for the Auckland District Board of Health said the man was stable Wednesday morning.
No charges have been filed in connection with Tuesday’s incident at this stage, Hill said, but police are considering charges.
Hill said the man had been discovered by a member of the public acting suspiciously Tuesday morning.
Ryan Anderson / Stuff
A cordon was placed in Tangowahine, near Dargaville, on Tuesday, where a man was shot after allegedly shooting a police dog.
He was chased by police and ran into a meadow, then turned and shot in the dog’s handler’s direction, hitting the dog, Hill said.
The police then shot the man three times.
“Police continue to provide support to our members involved in yesterday’s incident and we also provide support to the family of the man currently in the hospital,” Hill said.
RYAN ANDERSON / Stuff
Northland District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said both the man and the police dog were in stable condition.
Hill said he could not reveal the name of the dog involved at this stage as investigations into the incident are ongoing.
However, he had been in the force for some time, he said.
Police Association President Chris Cahill said police dogs are a key part of the team and are treated, to some extent, like another officer.
Maarten Holl / Things
Chris Cahill said that police dogs are part of the police family.
He said it affects everyone in the police force when a dog is injured or killed.
A total of 24 police dogs have died in the line of duty since 1972, four in the 2000s alone.
The most recent was Gazza, who was shot and killed during an armed incident in Porirua in 2016. The year before, he had survived the strangulation of a robber.
Gazza was fired in 2016, draped in a New Zealand flag.
The shooting is the latest in a series of gun incidents in Northland.
Less than a month ago, two people were injured in a shooting from a vehicle in Kaitaia, in the far north.
Police were reportedly shot on 17 November when a driver failed to stop at a checkpoint in Whangārei. The 24-year-old accused of the shooting has pleaded not guilty.
RYAN ANDERSON / Stuff
Police cordoned off Tangowahine near Dargaville on Tuesday after the shooting.
In October, a police vehicle was shot in Kerikeri.
The incident saw temporarily armed police officers in pursuit of those responsible.
Police were also fired upon during a nightly chase in September. The accused man will face a jury trial in January.
Hill said anecdotally that there are about 10 firearm incidents in Northland each month.
