Overview
- Police and a bondsman located 27-year-old Angel Bowers in a tent in Polk County and say he opened fire as three deputies and K9 Ace approached on Aug. 6.
- Ace was struck by a bullet that entered his left chest and exited the left shoulder, badly damaging his front left leg and an artery and forcing veterinarians to amputate the limb.
- Ace’s handler, Deputy Natalie Oestreich, carried him to Parkway Veterinary Emergency Clinic where he was stabilized, given blood, and airlifted for surgery before being released and retired to live with his handler.
- Deputies later entered the tent and found Bowers dead holding a stolen 9mm gun; an autopsy reported a single gunshot wound to the head and investigators recovered the firearm with an extended magazine.
- The Wiltse Family Foundation and Polk Sheriff’s Charities covered Ace’s medical costs and will fund a replacement K9, and a 10th Judicial Circuit officer-involved-deadly-incident task force is conducting an active review of the shooting.