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K-9, Riggs, Expected To Recover After Being Shot By Chicago Homicide Suspect During Confrontation With Kenosha County Sheriff's Deputy

CHICAGO (CBS)-- K-9, Riggs, is expected recover after being shot by a Chicago homicide suspect during a confrontation with a Kenosha County Sheriff's deputy.

Riggs was shot in the forehead and was rushed to an emergency veterinarian facility in Northern Illinois. Officials now say, "he will recover."

Sources told CBS 2's Charlie De Mar that Riggs was taken to a veterinary trauma center in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. The dog suffered a fractured skull, but the bullet missed the dog's brain.

On Thursday morning, a Kenosha County Sheriff's deputy shot a suspect at a gas station in the village of Bristol, Wisconsin after spotting a car that was involved in a homicide in Chicago, after he shot Riggs, authorities said.

The car the suspect was driving belonged to the victim of one of two murders on Chicago's Northwest Side early Thursday morning, CBS 2 has learned.

Kenosha County sheriff David Beth said around 11:15 a.m. Thursday, Kenosha County Sheriff's deputies responded to the Benson Corners Shell gas station, at the corner of State Highway 50 and U.S. Route 45 in Bristol, in an attempt to locate a stolen vehicle involved in a murder in Chicago, according to the sheriff's office. The sheriff's office had received a tip from Chicago Police.

A suspect was found driving the vehicle, which had belonged to the homicide victim, Beth said.

Three deputies rushed to the scene and tried to make what Beth described as a high-risk traffic stop. The deputies ordered the suspect to come out with his hands up, but the suspect did not follow orders and instead took off running, Beth said.

As the suspect ran through the parking lot of the gas station, sheriff's deputies released a K9 officer named Riggs. The dog captured the suspect just before he ran onto Highway 50, Beth said.

The suspect still had his gun in his hand at the time, and he shot the dog, Beth said. Riggs suffered a bullet wound to the forehead.

Several deputies fired multiple shots at the suspect, who was struck at least once each in the abdomen in leg. Deputies then put handcuffs on the suspect while tending to his wounds, Beth said.

The suspect was taken to a hospital by Bristol, Wisconsin Fire Department paramedics. He was undergoing surgery late Thursday. An investigation is underway and charges are pending.

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