Arnie is now working as a search and rescue dog after he was unable to return to frontline duties. Photo / Supplied
Arnie is now working as a search and rescue dog after he was unable to return to frontline duties. Photo / Supplied
A police officer was justified in shooting a man who shot and critically injured a police dog in Tangowahine, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) has found.
The dog, Arnie, was shot and officers were shot at on December 1, 2020.
The man who was shooting, Jamie David Henderson, had warrants for his arrest for failing to appear in court on firearms and cannabis charges.
An off-duty officer told a sergeant he had seen the wanted man sitting on a fence under a macrocarpa tree in Tangowahine Valley Rd west of Whangarei.
The sergeant enlisted the help of a dog handler and two other officers to arrest Henderson.
The officers were armed because they knew Henderson had been trying to get hold of a firearm but, the report says, they did not alert the Armed Offenders Squad because they had no evidence he actually had a gun.
As they approached Henderson in two police cars, he began to run. Three officers chased him and the dog handler got Arnie out before following him.
The dog handler warned Henderson he would release the dog if he did not stop, but he kept running. The officer then lifted Arnie over the fence and ordered him to catch the fleeing man, and also followed the dog.
Henderson then pulled a revolver out of his backpack. The dog handler told the IPCA that when he saw the size of it, he thought, "I really hope that's not real because if it was we're in deep s***".
He yelled at the man to put down the gun, but Henderson shot at the officers.
The dog handler said he felt "outgunned" with his Glock pistol, but returned fire.
"I was not just going to turn around and run away and end up with a big hole in my back, and my mates end up with a hole in their back," he said.
His shots seemed to have little effect on Henderson, the officer added.
Police officers at the scene of the shooting on Tangowahine Valley Rd in December 2020. Photo / Tania Whyte
Arnie continued to move towards the offender, who fired at him from a metre away.
The dog handler then fired at Henderson's leg to get him to let go of the gun. The offender, who was wounded in the stomach, hip and right arm, dropped the revolver and put his hands up.
Henderson had shot Arnie in the head and the dog was extensively injured in the nose, mouth and jaw.
Arnie survived but was unable to return to frontline duties because of his injuries. He now works as a search and rescue dog.
Officers provided first aid to the injured man, and the dog handler called for an ambulance before taking his dog to a vet in Dargaville.
The IPCA found the dog handler was justified in releasing the dog and firing four shots in defence of himself and his fellow officers.
"Even though the man had evaded police for some time, the officer thought he was executing a 'routine' warrant for the man's arrest but found himself unexpectedly being shot at," IPCA chairman Judge Colin Doherty said.
"He responded appropriately and bravely to defend himself and the lives of his colleagues. I commend him for his actions."
Detective Inspector Dene Begbie, relieving Northland district commander, said he wanted to acknowledge the actions of the officers involved and their bravery.
"This incident unfolded very quickly and ultimately, our staff brought this to a conclusion without any further risk to members of the public.
"It is fortunate that our staff were not injured as a result of the offender's callous actions in discharging a firearm."
