DALLAS — Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia called a wounded K-9 partner a "hero" for its actions during the pursuit of a suspect last week, saying the dog helped save his partner's life as both were shot.
The shooting happened early Friday as Sr. Cpl. Scott Jay and his K-9 partner, Figor, were trying to find a shooting suspect in the area of 2900 Cypress Avenue, in southeast Dallas.
As the two closed in on the suspect Brian Casillas, 20, Casillas shot Figor through his chest and then shot at Jay, wounding him in the chest and leg, Garcia said.
Figor then kept pursuing Casillas and helped take the man into custody.
"The work of this dog this night was nothing short of heroic," Garcia said at a news conference Monday. "Shot, injured, Figor goes back to do his job and take the man into custody."
Casillas died at the scene after Jay shot back at him. Jay and Figor were taken for treatment and survived the shooting.
"God wasn't ready for two warriors that night," Garcia said, "and these warriors did their duty in the face of evil."
Watch the bodycam video from the shooting:
Garcia said Jay and Figor's work on Friday showed "the commitment these have to one another was like no other bond."
Garcia played body camera footage of the shooting during the news conference Monday.
In the video, gunshots can be heard, followed by Figor yelping as he was wounded. More gunshots followed, followed by more yelping from Figor.
Jay can then be heard yelling, "We're hit! We're hit!"
"I'm hit!" Jay yelled again. "Suspect down. I'm hit. My partner's hit."
After the shooting, Jay, even as other officers tried to put a tourniquet on his wound, managed to get to where he could tie Figor to a tree.
"Let me get my dog!" Jay said. "The suspect's down!"
"Our K-9s are invaluable members of this police department and [he] helped save his partner's life," Garcia said. "He did everything he was trained to do and exceeded all expectations of a K-9 partner and as a member of the Dallas Police Department."
The incident early Friday began with a 911 call around 9:45 p.m. Thursday, when police received a call about a shooting on Cypress Avenue. Officers arrived and learned that Casillas had shot two people inside of a home after he was confronted about loud music, police said. The victims called for hep, and Casillas ran away.
The two shooting victims survived.
Police began searching for Casillas and didn't find him over the next several hours. Around 12:30 a.m., a 911 caller reported that a man was knocking on their door in the 9400 block of Briggs Street, a couple blocks from the Cypress shooting, police said.
Officers responded to the area and found a shoe and a blood trail. That's when Jay and Figor responded and began tracking Casillas to a creek near a bridge.