A K-9 of the Police was killed and an officer was injured during an armed confrontation in Maine, authorities said Tuesday. The suspect was also killed.
The confrontation began on Monday night. The State Police of Maine and the Sheriff’s Office of Aroostook County responded to a domestic violence report in a house in Portage Lake, Maine CBS WGME affiliate reported.
The dispute was among a woman, who has not been identified, and Steven Rightini, 29. The woman told the police that Rightini had been fighting with her and pushed her to a wall, WGME said. When the police arrived, the woman was outside, and Rightini was inside with the couple’s four -week baby, Wgme reported.
The officers tried to stop Rightini, but he resisted, WGME reported. Then he took a gun from his waist and shot the officers while returning to the house. An officer, deputy Shane Campbell was shot in the shoulder, Wgme said. Then, Rightini grabbed another firearm and shot at police cruises while trying to get out of the entrance, WGME said.
Another officer, identified as Deputy Reid Clark, shot Rightini. The police spent several hours trying to negotiate with Rightini. He refused to surrender, said WGME, and finally tried to flee the scene in a vehicle. The vehicle was disabled by the police. Rightini escaped from the scene.
The K-9, who said that the police was a four-year-old Belgian Malinois called a preacher, was deployed to stop regchini, State Police saying. Regchini shot the dog, which was beaten in the abdomen.
Maine State Police
Regchini then pointed his gun to the soldiers, before he was fired by two other officers, identified by WGME as soldiers Andrew Hardy and Jonathan Russell. Russell was the preachers manager, said Maine State Police.
Regchini was declared dead on the scene. The child was returned to the mother safely. Campbell, the officer shot on the shoulder, was transported and treated in a hospital in the area. The preacher was urgently taken to an emergency veterinary clinic, where he was stabilized for several hours before “succumbing to his wounds” the morning of Tuesday, police said. Russell and other tactical team members were there when K-9 died, police said.
“The K-9 preacher was more than a working dog: he was a dedicated partner, a protector and a hero,” said Maine William G. Ross state police colonel. “Most people will never understand the sacrifices made by our K-9 teams, but last night, the preacher made the last sacrifice to protect others from damage.”
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