Joplin police dog dies after being shot in chase

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) -- A police dog who was shot in the head while chasing a robbery suspect has died, police said.

Cezar, a 7-year-old German Shepherd, was released by Officer Gabe Allen after a 22-year-old Joplin man fled a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant after a suspected robbery.

The shot struck Cezar above the right eye and fractured his skull in a few places, said Officer Travis Walthall, supervisor of the K-9 unit. The dog died Tuesday night at an animal hospital.

Cezar had been with the department since 2001.

The robbery suspect later surrendered peacefully after spending more than three hours in an abandoned shed surrounded by police, authorities said.

Police said the suspect was in jail awaiting the filing of charges that could include first-degree robbery and a felony count of killing or disabling a police dog.

The Joplin Police Department has three other police dogs: Ricky, Ikar and Bullit.

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Information from: The Joplin Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com