Sheriff announces K-9 dies after attempting to apprehend suspect
WYFF NEWS FOUR AT SIX STARTS RIGHT NOW. BREAKING NEWS SLED INVESTIGATING A DEADLY SHOOTING INVOLVING UPSTATE LAW ENFORCEMENT. SKY FOUR OVER THE SCENE. WE’RE LIVE WITH WHAT WE KNOW. I’M IN ASHEVILLE AT ONE OF THE WATERING HUBS WHERE THE NEED IS GREAT. MANY STILL HAVE TO HAVE WATER HERE IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. WE’LL TALK MORE ABOUT THIS IN THE RECOVERY UNDERWAY. THERE WERE PLACES BACK BEHIND US THAT WERE IMPASSABLE TO ANYTHING BUT A SIDE BY SIDE, RECONNECTING ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE WASHED AWAY BY HELENE. I’M REY LLERENA IN HENDERSONVILLE WITH THE PROGRESS NORTH CAROLINA D.O.T. HAS DONE SO FAR. WAITING FOR ANSWERS. SPECTRUM CUSTOMERS HOPING TO GET INTERNET RESTORED SOON. AND THE OUTAGES ARE IMPACTING PEOPLE’S JOBS AND BUSINESSES. TODAY MARKS TWO WEEKS SINCE HELENE MADE LANDFALL IN FLORIDA. THE DEADLY STORM CAUSING WIDESPREAD DEVASTATION ACROSS THE CAROLINAS. WE CONTINUE TO BRING YOU LIVE TEAM COVERAGE AS COMMUNITIES ARE WORKING TO RECOVER. CHIEF METEOROLOGIST CHRIS JUSTUS IS IN HARD HIT ASHEVILLE TONIGHT. HE WILL BEGIN OUR HELENE COVERAGE IN JUST A FEW MOMENTS, BUT FIRST, WE BEGIN WITH BREAKING NEWS OUT OF LAURENS COUNTY. SLED IS INVESTIGATING A DEADLY SHOOTING INVOLVING LAW ENFORCEMENT. OUR NATE STANLEY IS JOINING US LIVE WITH WHAT WE KNOW. SO FAR. GOOD EVENING. I’M HERE ON LAKEVIEW DRIVE IN GRAY COURT AND THIS IS WHERE LAW ENFORCEMENT SAYS ONE PERSON WAS SHOT AND KILLED EARLIER TODAY. IF YOU TAKE A LOOK BEHIND ME, YOU’LL SEE THERE ISN’T MUCH OF A SCENE LEFT HERE ON LAKEVIEW. HOWEVER, IT IS A DIFFERENT SCENE FROM THE ONE EARLIER TODAY THAT SKY FOUR WAS ABOVE US TO SEE. HERE’S THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE CONFIRMED THIS AFTERNOON. ONE PERSON IS DEAD FOLLOWING A SHOOTING HERE. BOTH THE LAURENS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE AND THE SOUTH CAROLINA LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION HAVE CONFIRMED THAT THE SHOOTING DID INVOLVE OFFICERS AND LEFT A SUSPECT DEAD. NOW, I CHATTED WITH SOME RESIDENTS HERE IN THE LAST HOUR. ONE WOMAN TELLS ME THAT SHE HEARD SHOUTING BEFORE MULTIPLE GUNSHOTS. THE LAURENS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE CONFIRMED THE INVESTIGATION IS CURRENTLY BEING RUN BY SLED. THE OFFICE DID SAY, THOUGH, THAT THERE IS CURRENTLY NO DANGER TO THE PUBLIC. WE WILL CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE THIS AND PROVIDE YOU UPDATES AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE. REPORTING IN GRAY COURT, NATE STANLEY, WYFF NEWS FOUR. NATE THANK YOU. LET’S TURN NOW TO THE AFTERMATH OF HALLOWEEN. THOUSANDS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA REMAIN WITHOUT POWER AND WATER. CHIEF METEOROLOGIST CHRIS JUSTUS JOINS US LIVE FROM ASHEVILLE NOW WITH MORE. CHRIS. CAROL. RASHAD, THE NEED IS STILL GREAT HERE IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. AND WILL BE FOR MANY WEEKS AND MONTHS TO COME. WE’RE OUTSIDE THE WATERING HUB HERE, OUTSIDE OF THE COURTHOUSE IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY. THIS IS A 6000 GALLON TANKER, AND THEY HAD TO ENGINEER THIS PIPE SYSTEM TO GET THE WATER OUT OF IT, TO DISPENSE INTO WHATEVER FOLKS CAN BRING. WE HAVE SEEN PEOPLE LINED UP HERE ALL DAY, AND THEY’RE HAVING TO REPLACE TANKERS LIKE THIS REGULARLY. THERE ARE FIVE OF THEM ACTIVELY WORKING ACROSS BUNCOMBE COUNTY AND THREE ON STANDBY. SO THEY DO NOT RUN OUT OF WATER. AS SOON AS ONE OF THESE GETS CLOSE, THEY PULL IT OUT. NEXT ONE COMES IN, THEY GO REFILL IT. THEY COME BACK. WHETHER IT’S WASHING CLOTHES, BRUSHING YOUR TEETH, ANYTHING IN YOUR HOME LIKE WASHING DISHES, WATER IS GOING TO BE A GREAT NEED FOR A WHILE, AS THE INFRASTRUCTURE HERE IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA WAS DECIMATED BY THE FLOOD WATERS OF HALLOWEEN COMING UP HERE IN JUST A FEW MOMENTS, WE’RE GOING TO SPEAK WITH BUNCOMBE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ABOUT HOW THE PAST TWO WEEKS HAVE GONE FROM THEM AND WHAT THEIR NEED IS MOVING FORWARD. WANT TO SEND THINGS IN TO METEOROLOGIST GRIFFIN HARDY? BECAUSE I CAN TELL YOU, GRIFFIN, AS THE SUN GETS LOWER IN THE SKY HERE ACROSS ASHEVILLE, IT’S COOLING DOWN SOME OF THE COOLEST WEATHER. I’VE FELT SO FAR THIS SEASON, AND MORE ON THE WAY. YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT CHRIS, AND PART OF THE REASON FOR THAT IS BECAUSE OF HOW DRY THE AIR IS WHEN YOU HAVE REALLY DRY AIR, THE TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATES MORE QUICKLY. AND THAT WILL BE THE CASE TONIGHT. ONCE THE OR. NOW THAT THE SUN IS SETTING, WE’LL DEFINITELY GET A LITTLE BIT COLDER TONIGHT. I WANT TO MENTION MILTON REAL QUICK. THIS PASSED OVER FLORIDA EARLIER TODAY AND LUCKILY HAS GONE POST-TROPICAL. IT IS OUT OVER OPEN WATERS. THE BEST WAY TO TELL THAT IT’S POST-TROPICAL. YOU GOT DRIER AIR WRAPPING INTO THE CIRCULATION AND LUCKILY IT IS GOING TO CONTINUE THAT EASTWARD TRACK AWAY FROM THE US. AND LUCKILY NOT BE AN ISSUE FOR THE CAROLINAS. ASIDE FROM THE CHOPPY SURF DOWN TOWARDS THE COAST, BLUE SKY. ANOTHER WAY TO TELL THE AIR IS REALLY DRY OVER TOP OF THE UPSTATE RIGHT NOW. 71 DEGREES OF HUMIDITY VERY LOW 29%. DEW POINT 37. AGAIN, ANOTHER SIGN THAT TEMPERATURES ARE GOING TO GET COLD TONIGHT. WE’RE IN THE UPPER 60S AND LOW 70S STILL FOR THE MOMENT, BUT WE’LL BE DOWN TO THE UPPER 50S BY 9:00 TONIGHT, 58 BY NINE. AND MUCH OF THE UPSTATE. MIDNIGHT. WE’RE DOWN TO 53. UPPER 40S BY EARLY TOMORROW. PROBABLY NOT THE BEST NIGHT TO SLEEP WITH THE WINDOWS OPEN LIKE IT HAS BEEN FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF NIGHTS, IT’S JUST GOING TO BE A LITTLE TOO COLD FOR THAT. SAME FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA 50 BY MIDNIGHT, LOW 40S AND SOME SPOTS IN THE UPPER 30S BY EARLY TOMORROW. FRANKLIN. CULLOWHEE DOWN TO 3839. LOW 40S FOR ASHEVILLE AND HENDERSONVILLE. MID TO UPPER 40S FOR NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE UPSTATE. AT LEAST IT’S AT LEAST GOING TO BE A LITTLE WARMER DURING THE AFTERNOON. THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. MORE ON THAT WEEKEND FORECAST IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. THANK YOU. GRIFFIN, LET’S TURN TO THE IMPACT OF MILTON. THE HURRICANE HIT NEAR SIESTA KEY IN FLORIDA LAST NIGHT AS A CAT THREE WITH WINDS OF 120MPH. DAMAGE HERE FROM THE PATH OF MILTON. NBC NIGHTLY NEWS WILL BE ON THE GROUND IN FLORIDA AS CLEANUP FROM MILTON BEGINS NEXT AT 630. AND BACK HERE AT HOME TODAY, THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IS GIVING US ALL A FIRSTHAND LOOK AT HOW THEY ARE TRYING TO REPAIR SOME OF THE ROADS AND RECONNECT COMMUNITIES FOLLOWING HALLOWEEN. CREWS ARE DETAILING THE WORK THEY’VE DONE AND WHAT’S LEFT TO DO. OUR REY LLERENA JOINS US LIVE IN HENDERSONVILLE WITH MORE RAY. EARLIER TODAY, NORTH CAROLINA D.O.T. TOOK US DOWN U.S. HIGHWAY 64 TO THE BAT CAVE COMMUNITY, WHERE A ROAD THAT CONNECTED IT TO THE REST OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA WAS WASHED AWAY. WHAT YOU JUST DROVE THROUGH WAS AN ABSOLUTE WAR ZONE. ROADS TURNED INTO CLIFFSIDES AND DEBRIS FROM HELENE’S FLOODING ARE SOME OF THE SIGHTS ALONG U.S. HIGHWAY 64 ON THURSDAY. STEP ONE GET THE HERE FIT. YOU SAW A LOT OF THE REPAIRS BEHIND US RIGHT? THERE WERE PLACES BACK BEHIND US THAT WERE IMPASSABLE TO ANYTHING BUT A SIDE BY SIDE THROUGHOUT THE ROUTE, CREWS COULD BE SEEN REPAIRING THE ROAD THAT WAS LOST WHEN THESE ENGINEERS, 100 YEARS AGO CAME IN HERE IN THE 20S, 30S AND 40S AND BUILT THESE ROADS, THE ORIGINAL ROADS. IT’S GOING TO BE VERY SIMILAR TO THAT. THE ROAD THEN STOPS AT A WASHED OUT BRIDGE OVER THE ROCKY BROAD RIVER IN BAT CAVE, WITH DEBRIS FROM THE STORM STILL UNDERNEATH A SHIPPING CONTAINER FLAT AS A PANCAKE, WHICH TELLS YOU SOMETHING ABOUT THE FORCE OF THE WATER GOING PAST THE BRIDGE. HOMES WASHED AWAY BY HELENE’S FLOODING AND THE ROAD TO CHIMNEY ROCK IS NO LONGER THERE. YOU’RE GOING TO SEE THIS ONE SPOT. THE SAME THING IS HAPPENING ALL OVER THE ALL OVER THE COUNTY AND REGION WIDE. YOU’RE GETTING A SMALL TASTE OF IT. CREWS ARE KEEPING TRACK OF THE MATERIALS THEY USE TO BE REIMBURSED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. BUT THEY SAY MONEY ISN’T A WORRY RIGHT NOW. WE TRACK IT AND HOPE FOR THE BEST. BUT AS FAR AS SLOWING DOWN THE WORK, ABSOLUTELY NOT A LOT MORE THINGS IMPORTANT THAN MONEY. IT IS STILL HEARTBREAKING SEEING SOME OF THE DAMAGE ACROSS THE AREA. RAY, WHAT ELSE ARE ENGINEERS SAYING ABOUT THE DAMAGE THAT THEY’RE SEEING? WELL, RICHARD, SOME OF THEM TOLD ME TODAY THAT FRANKLY, HELENE IS SOME OF THE MOST DEVASTATING DAMAGE THEY HAVE SEEN IN THEIR ENTIRE CAREER WORKING FOR D.O.T. AND THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT HAVE WORKED MORE THAN 20 YEARS FOR THAT DEPARTMENT. AND AS FOR THAT BRIDGE INTO BAT CAVE, ENGINEERS SAY THEY HOPE TO REOPEN IT IN THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO. SO THAT AREA CAN START REBUILDING. REPORTING LIVE IN HENDERSONVILLE, REY LLERENA WYFF NEWS FOUR. THANK YOU RAY. WE KEEP HEARING FROM SPECTRUM CUSTOMERS WHO TELL US THEIR INTERNET SERVICE HAS NOT YET BEEN RESTORED, AND WYFF4.COM CONTINUES TO ASK SPECTRUM FOR UPDATES. MAYA PAYTON HAS BEEN ON THIS ISSUE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK. MAYA, YOU SPOKE WITH BOTH SPECTRUM CUSTOMERS WHO ARE RELYING ON THEIR PHONE HOTSPOTS JUST TO GET BY RIGHT? YES, RASHAD AND CAROL HERE AT ZORBA LOUNGE, THE OWNER SAYS THAT HE’S BEEN USING HIS PHONE’S HOTSPOT FOR ABOUT A WEEK IN ORDER TO KEEP OPERATIONS GOING. HERE, BUT THANKFULLY, ABOUT 30 MINUTES AGO, SPECTRUM RESTORED HIS INTERNET SERVICE. HOWEVER, HE IS STILL CONCERNED CONSIDERING THAT LAST WEEK HIS SERVICE WAS RESTORED. BUT THEN HE LOST IT AGAIN. SO HE’S HOPING THAT THIS TIME THE INTERNET IS HERE TO STAY. YOU KNOW, SIMILARLY, ANOTHER SPECTRUM CUSTOMER, TERRY PATTERSON, USES HER HOTSPOT AS SHE WORKS FROM HOME. SHE HAD TO UPGRADE HER PLAN TO UNLIMITED DUE TO THE OUTAGE, THOUGH SPECTRUM WAIVED HER $10 UPGRADE FEE. BUT SHE WILL STILL HAVE TO BE PAYING FOR THE UNLIMITED PLAN, WHICH SHE PLANS TO DROP AFTER THE INTERNET IS RESTORED. BOTH OF THESE CUSTOMERS HAVE THE SHARED HOPE THAT SPECTRUM WILL PULL THROUGH A COUPLE DAYS IN AND OUT WITH THE INTERNET. I GOT MY TERMINAL HOOKED UP TO A HOTSPOT OFF MY PHONE RIGHT NOW, TRYING TO OPERATE. I’M REALLY, REALLY HOPING THAT SPECTRUM IS GOING TO DO WHAT’S RIGHT AND AND WORK ON THIS. I HAVEN’T SEEN ANY SPECTRUM TRUCKS IN MY AREA WHATSOEVER. NO COMMUNICATION FROM THEM. WELL, DEBBIE HAS REACHED OUT TO SPECTRUM TODAY AND ASKED FOR AN ESTIMATED TIME OF RESTORATION. ITS COMMUNICATION WITH CUSTOMERS AND CREDIT ON BILLS AND AUTODRAFT PAYMENTS PROCESS. WE ARE STILL WAITING TO HEAR BACK. NOW THE OWNER HERE TODAY TOLD ME THAT HE WAS. HE HEARD FROM SPECTRUM ABOUT AN ESTIMATED TIME, WHICH WAS TODAY, SO THEY PULLED THROUGH ON THAT. HOWEVER, TERRY STILL WAITING TO HEAR FROM SPECTRUM. SHE HASN’T HEARD FROM THEM SO FAR. I DO WANT TO NOTE THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED EMAILS FROM SPECTRUM CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE SHARED THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME TODAY, THEY HAVE RECEIVED A TEXT ON AN ESTI
Sheriff announces K-9 dies after attempting to apprehend suspect
Updated: 8:50 PM EDT Oct 10, 2024
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott announced Thursday evening that a K-9 unit died in the line of duty.(Video above: WYFF News 4 Evening Headlines)Around 3 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, deputies requested help from a K-9 unit to track down a suspect who fled on foot from a stolen vehicle. Patrol deputies established a perimeter around the area of Leesburg Road in lower Richland, South Carolina. K-9 Spc. Samantha Ramirez with her partner, K-9 Kodak, and K-9 Spc. O’Shaughnessy began to track the suspect through a heavily wooded area.While tracking the suspect, K-9 Kodak got entangled in some razor wire fencing that was hidden by brush and sustained severe lacerations to his abdomen and leg. Ramirez and O’Shaughnessy also sustained lacerations as they attempted to untangle Kodak.Lott said Kodak was immediately taken to the South Carolina Veterinary Specialist and Emergency Care, where he underwent emergency surgery, but despite their best efforts, Kodak died from his injuries on Thursday.Deputies said the suspect has not been caught.Kodak was a 6-year-old Dutch Shepherd who had been partnered with Ramirez for four years.Kodak’s death is the second line-of-duty death of an RCSD K-9 in 2024, officials said.Richland County K9 Wick died after being struck by a vehicle during a foot chase in June.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott announced Thursday evening that a K-9 unit died in the line of duty.
(Video above: WYFF News 4 Evening Headlines)
Around 3 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, deputies requested help from a K-9 unit to track down a suspect who fled on foot from a stolen vehicle.
Patrol deputies established a perimeter around the area of Leesburg Road in lower Richland, South Carolina. K-9 Spc. Samantha Ramirez with her partner, K-9 Kodak, and K-9 Spc. O’Shaughnessy began to track the suspect through a heavily wooded area.
While tracking the suspect, K-9 Kodak got entangled in some razor wire fencing that was hidden by brush and sustained severe lacerations to his abdomen and leg. Ramirez and O’Shaughnessy also sustained lacerations as they attempted to untangle Kodak.
Lott said Kodak was immediately taken to the South Carolina Veterinary Specialist and Emergency Care, where he underwent emergency surgery, but despite their best efforts, Kodak died from his injuries on Thursday.
Deputies said the suspect has not been caught.
Kodak was a 6-year-old Dutch Shepherd who had been partnered with Ramirez for four years.
Kodak’s death is the second line-of-duty death of an RCSD K-9 in 2024, officials said.
Richland County K9 Wick died after being struck by a vehicle during a foot chase in June.
