Thick blackberry bushes turned out to be hiding more than brambles in Auburn, where a King County Sheriff’s Office K-9 team tracked down a missing handgun and pistol suppressor after a shooting, according to the agency.
Responding to the incident, K-9 handlers carved the overgrown area into sections and worked it piece by piece. In the middle of that slow, methodical sweep, K-9 Rain alerted in a dense patch of blackberry, where deputies uncovered the concealed firearm and suppressor that had been missed in the initial pass, the King County Sheriff's Office reported.
The Sheriff’s Office said a person was later arrested in connection with the shooting. The post praised the "outstanding teamwork" of the K-9 units and deputies on scene, but did not identify the suspect or list any specific charges.
How K-9 teams work on scene
According to the King County Sheriff's Office K-9 page, the unit’s dogs and handlers are trained to locate suspects, victims and evidence at or near crime scenes. For large or heavily overgrown locations, handlers often divide the area into sectors so multiple teams can work methodically and cut down the odds of missing anything.
K-9 Rain is listed among the office’s certified teams and is regularly deployed to assist with evidence searches, according to the K-9 unit’s overview.
Investigation remains ongoing
The Sheriff’s Office Facebook post did not specify exactly where the Auburn shooting occurred or whether prosecutors have formally filed charges, but it confirmed that one person had been arrested in connection with the case, per the King County Sheriff's Office. Detectives continue to investigate, and the agency has not immediately released additional details beyond what was shared in the post.
For now, investigators at least have physical evidence to work with, thanks to a K-9 that followed its nose straight into the thorns.
