Crime & Courts

Richland County Sheriff’s K-9 is home recovering after being shot Thursday

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott speaks about K9 Kobe who was injured in a shooting incident with 17-year-old Jeremy Taylor K9 Specialist Bryan Hodges returned fire, injuring Taylor.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott speaks about K9 Kobe who was injured in a shooting incident with 17-year-old Jeremy Taylor K9 Specialist Bryan Hodges returned fire, injuring Taylor.

A Richland County Sheriff’s K-9 is back home recovering after being shot while responding to a call.

The sheriff’s office said the 5-year-old Kobe was shot in both of his front paws. His recovery time is unknown. Kobe lives with his human partner, K-9 Specialist Bryan Hodge.

About midnight Thursday morning, the sheriff’s office responded to a report of a truck stolen in the South Killbourne neighborhood. When deputies spotted the stolen truck around 2 a.m., a short chase ensued before the two teens got out of the truck near Cavalier Court and Valencia Park. Both were carrying pistols.

The sheriff’s department says Jeremy Taylor did not listen to commands from the deputies, who then dispatched K-9s Kobe and Sonny to subdue him. Taylor opened fire on the dogs and the deputies, wounding Kobe. The deputies returned fire, striking Taylor, who suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Ricland County Sheriff’s Department K-9 Kobe recovering from surgery after he was shot during a chase on March 14, 2024.
Ricland County Sheriff’s Department K-9 Kobe recovering from surgery after he was shot during a chase on March 14, 2024. Richland County Sheriff's Department

Reporter Ted Clifford contributed to this article.

This story was originally published March 15, 2024 at 2:50 PM.

Joseph Bustos
The State
Joseph Bustos is a state government and politics reporter at The State. He’s a Northwestern University graduate and previously worked in Illinois covering government and politics. He has won reporting awards in both Illinois and Missouri. He moved to South Carolina in November 2019 and won the Jim Davenport Award for Excellence in Government Reporting for his work in 2022. Support my work with a digital subscription
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