BRAINTREE, MASS. (WHDH) - One of the officers injured in a shootout that killed a suspect in Braintree has been released from the hospital and both are expected to make a full recovery, officials said Saturday, as the department continues to mourn the K-9 killed in the confrontation.
When officers Matthew Donahue and Bill Cushing, along with Cushing’s K-9 Kitt, responded to reports of a domestic incident in Braintree Friday and pursued the suspect into nearby woods, the suspect allegedly fired on them, officials said. The officers shot back and the suspect, identified as Andrew Homan, 34, was killed, as was Kitt.
The officers were wearing bulletproof vests but were shot multiple times in their limbs and taken to Boston Medical Center, Police Chief Mark Dubois said. Donahue, a nine-year veteran of the department, was released Saturday and is expected to make a full recovery and Cushing, a 15-year-veteran of the department, remains hospitalized but is also expected to make a full recovery, according to Dubois.
“We’re very, very thankful for the outpouring of support we’ve gotten from the community of Braintree, the hospital, surrounding communities and nationally, we’ve received all kinds of condolences” Dubois said. “The priority for us is [the officers’] recovery and the support we can provide them and their families, this is a very traumatic incident multiplied extremely by the loss of Kitt.”
Cushing was partnered with Kitt for 12 years and Braintree Deputy Chief Tim Cohoon said that creates a special bond.
“The relationship between a handler and K9 is significant … they work constantly together and the dog’s main focus in life is to protect its handler and please the handler,” Cohoon said. “It’s a very difficult and long road ahead for Billy, it’s a tough circumstance but could’ve been a lot worse.”
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