K-9 injured in Placer County shooting goes home from vet and will make full recovery

Eros, the K-9 officer who was injured in the Tuesday shootings in Placer County that killed a 93-year-old woman, has been released from the veterinarian, the sheriff’s office said.

Eros was shot in the flank during the confrontation between the shooter and officers Tuesday night, according to previous Bee reporting. He has been recovering at the VCA Loomis Basin Veterinary Clinic since Tuesday and is expected to make a full recovery.

Eros, who is 9 years old, has served with the Placer County Sheriff’s Office for seven years. He will finish his recovery at home with his handler and family, according to a tweet from the sheriff’s office.

The shooting spree Tuesday killed 93-year-old Mary Toste and injured one other person, as well as Eros. Deputies shot and killed the shooter, Stanley Stepanski III, 48, of Florence, Montana.

It began around 7 p.m. Tuesday when a man was seen firing off rounds starting in a Newcastle parking lot. The spree ended when Stepanski was shot and killed on Interstate 80 near the Highway 65 overpass.

He drove a pickup truck through south Placer County, shooting at businesses, vehicles and homes in seven different areas, authorities said.

As he was driving down Rock Springs Road in Penryn, he shot and killed Toste at her door, officials said. Another person was shot while driving in Loomis and went to a fire station for treatment. A third person was shot at but was not hit, authorities said.

This story was originally published January 18, 2019 at 3:40 PM.