A U.S. Marshal K-9 working with the Houston Police Department is expected to survive after being shot twice and nearly killed during a manhunt for a criminal who’d already murdered a police officer.
Authorities say Robert Lee Davis, 56, shot and killed Brazoria County Deputy Jesus Varga, a 17-year veteran of the department, as Varga was serving a warrant to a "repeat violent offender" last Wednesday. Varga, who was a husband and father to three children, was working as a U.S. Marshal’s Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force at the time he was killed.
Davis then fled the scene, launching an hours-long manhunt that finally led to his being tracked down in an alleyway. Police relied on the help of a K-9 named Rocky to find the suspect, who’d been cowering in a dumpster for several hours before the dog picked up his trail. Rocky was digging in the dumpster and alerting his unit to Davis’ presence when he was shot twice, critically wounding him.
Davis was shot dead by police during the standoff, as officers rushed Rocky to the street and began life-saving measures. Video from the scene captured the incredible moment:
K9 Rocky is an amazing dog. He took a bullet in the line of duty while locating a killer. His actions saved lives. Sadly, Rocky is undergoing emergency surgery, but is expected to survive. He would make an awesome choice for a White House dog under Trump. https://t.co/FbAhUm4HIG
— Rukshan Fernando (@therealrukshan) January 16, 2025
Rocky was airlifted to an animal hospital, where he was treated for bullet wounds to both his nose and his neck that, according to the vet, narrowly missed his spine.
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“Narrowly missed his spine, which was pretty amazing," Dr. Jeff Chalkley said. "God was there and directed that bullet away from his vital organs."
Rocky’s human handler reportedly never left his side. The K-9 hero is now expected to make a full recovery and is set to head home in a day or two. His vet says he believes Rocky will return to duty and "catch more bad guys, and hopefully get rid of evil in the world.”
Perhaps if more people had the goodness of dogs, we wouldn’t have to worry about that.