Necropsy shows fallen K-9 was shot by suspect, Wichita police say

The bullet that killed a Wichita police dog in March was fired by the man the dog was sent to stop, a spokeswoman for the agency said Tuesday.

Rooster, a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois, died shortly after he was shot on March 18. He had been released by his handler and partner, Officer Daniel Gumm, to stop Kevin C. Perry, 25, from going back into a trailer home at Lamplighter Mobile Home Park, 23230 E. MacArthur, during a dispute police were called to defuse.

Police have said Gumm didn’t know Perry was armed when he released Rooster. Perry was shot and killed by officers after reaching for his gun that night.

Sgt. Nikki Woodrow said Tuesday that Rooster’s necropsy showed he suffered one gunshot wound to his left shoulder. The bullet traveled down through his body, struck some of his vital organs and exited out of his right side, she said.

The necropsy, which is an autopsy performed on an animal, was completed by Kansas State University on March 28, she said.

“Due to the trajectory, evidence at the scene and video from the incident, investigators have determined that the …(bullet) that killed Rooster was fired by Mr. Perry,” Woodrow said. Initially there was concern that bullets fired by officers at Perry might have struck the dog.

Rooster is the first police dog killed in the line of duty. He served with the Wichita Police Department for five years before his death.

This story was originally published April 11, 2017 at 1:03 PM with the headline "Necropsy shows fallen K-9 was shot by suspect, Wichita police say."