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K9 Riggs and Deputy Tifft honored for hard work, courage

K9 Riggs
Posted at 8:35 PM, Dec 07, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-07 21:35:13-05

KENOSHA, Wis. — K9 Riggs and Kenosha County Sheriff Department Deputy Terry Tifft were presented with a Certificate of Recognition during Tuesday's County Board meeting.

The certificate was in honor of the pair's hard work and courage in the line of duty.

K9 Riggs returned to duty with his handler, Deputy Tifft, on Nov. 29, after previously being shot in the head in the line of duty. Officials said he returned after emergency surgery and a "miraculous" recovery.

"Kenosha County salutes their service, along with that of all law enforcement officers who face the potential for harm in the line of duty every day," Kensoha County Government posted on Facebook Tuesday night.

Riggs saved the lives of several deputies, says Tifft when officers had responded to a gas station in Bristol, just west of Kenosha, in October.

According to the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department, deputies were there to look for a stolen car and its driver, a man suspected of murder in Chicago that same day.

Deputies found him, and the man attempted to flee, according to the sheriff's department.

But Riggs chased him down and tackled him.

The suspect shot Riggs in the head. And deputies responded by shooting the suspect, who according to police is in stable condition at a hospital.

Tifft previously told TMJ4 that the rest was a blur.

"I don't remember. I just flew to the vet," he said.

Riggs is a lucky dog. The bullet entered the top of his head and exited out the back, bruising the skull but not fracturing it or hitting any vital parts.

"It is a miracle, it's a great miracle," said Tifft.

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