HURRICANE, Utah, Dec. 27, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Hurricane City Police K-9 Riko is expected to survive knife wounds to the neck, inflicted by a suspect who reportedly invaded a family home and was then killed by gunfire in an officer-involved critical incident.
The shooting victim was later identified as 46-year-old Jose Palacios Pascacio, a Hurricane resident.
Riko, who joined the department in 2018, has undergone one surgery, and is expected to have at least one more, Officer Dan Raddatz, Hurricane City Police, told Gephardt Daily.
Although Riko is not out of the woods yet, “he is currently in stable condition,” Raddatz said. “He still is scheduled for at least one more surgery. We are hopeful at this point that he’s going to pull through.”
Riko is 5 and a half years old, and is a Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd mix.
The OICI
The officer-involved critical incident happened after police were notified at about 7:22 p.m. Monday of a man in the area of the Hurricane Cemetery who reported “he was being threatened.”
When police made contact with the man, “he started yelling in Spanish” and “drove his car at the officers,” the Hurricane Police statement says.
A “short pursuit ensued and was terminated within one minute due to safety concerns.”
The suspect was spotted a short while later, “driving very slowly and erratically near 700 W. State St. making numerous abrupt U-turns,” police said.
“The subject caused a traffic accident with another passing motorist, causing substantial damage to both vehicles, and then went off the road before coming to a stop due to the vehicle damage.”
Officers found the abandoned vehicle, but the suspect had vanished.
Home invasion
“A short time later officers were dispatched to a home in the area of 2460 West and 250 North. The resident said a man in his mid 40s that was speaking Spanish had just walked into their home.”
After police entered the residence, “it was reported that shots had been fired, and the suspect was fatally shot and a police K-9 was critically injured,” the police statement says.
“The suspect succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.”
The Tuesday morning statement said the K-9, later identified as Riko, was transported in “critical condition after being stabbed in the neck and is being transported to Las Vegas for emergency medical care.”
The officer-involved shooting is being investigated by the Washington County Critical Incident Task Force, along with officers from the Hurricane City Police Department, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
“We send our condolences to the family of the deceased. And our hearts and prayers are currently with our K-9 that was injured and his partner and family as we all are hoping for the best possible outcome.”
Riko
Regarding Riko, the St. George Police Department sent best wishes to the K-9.
“K-9s and their handlers in Washington County work and train together, often spending hours together each week,” the SGPD statement says.
“It’s difficult when one of the team is injured. We want to wish Riko a quick recovery.”
