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K-9 wounded in shooting released from veterinary clinic

Posted at 12:39 AM, Oct 05, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-05 00:41:44-04

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- Hours after the capture of Joseph Conway at the Motel 6 on Williamsburg Road Tuesday morning, the deputy K-9 he's charged with shooting walked out of an emergency veterinary clinic in Fredericksburg.

Conway, 34, had been on the run since Sunday night when investigators said he opened fire on Spotsylvania County deputies, striking a police K-9.

"This is closure for me. He's a hero," said Kacey Diaz, the dispatcher Sunday night said of the K-9 “Dux.”

The two-year-old crime fighter pranced out in front of a blue welcoming party and rode off in a precession Tuesday. He has many months of recovery and rehab ahead.

Dux

Dux

“It was going through my mind, alight if he (K-9) has been shot… where are the officers? We didn’t know at that point,” said Diaz.

The initial incident started at a traffic stop in Spotsylvania County Sunday night. Conway was a passenger in a car that was pulled over.

Conway got out of the vehicle, got into a fight with the deputy, and ran off, a Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office spokesman said.

“A Spotsylvania K-9 Deputy and his K-9 partner had arrived and the K-9 was released to chase the suspect. After a short pursuit, Conway pulled a pistol from his clothing and fired several rounds at the pursuing Deputies and the K-9, striking the dog at least one time,” Captain Jeff Pearce said.

A shootout ensued, but deputies were unsure if Conway had been hit until the U.S. Marshal's and Henrico Police moved in on him early Tuesday morning.

Joseph Conway

Joseph Conway

"He was found there with a weapon and he was recovering from a leg wound from a gunshot,” said Sheriff Roger Harris.

Conway was nursing a wound to the leg according to deputies. After being treated at VCU Medical Center, he was taken to Rappahannock Regional Jail with no bond.

“Dux did his job. That’s what he’s training to do,” said Harris. “Dux took a bullet that possibly saved the life of a law enforcement officer.”

"He's a part of our team. He's family," said Diaz.

Conway faces two counts of attempted capital murder of a police officer. Harris says more charges are pending.

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