K9 Titan recovering after being shot by suspect in St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (FOX 13) - A K9 officer is continuing to improve just days after he and a Pinellas County deputy were shot by a suspect.

St. Petersburg police said 23-year-old Elijah Johnson fled from a traffic stop by a Pinellas deputy before 2 a.m. Friday.

When St. Pete Police Officer Greg Shone and his K9 Titan began searching for Johnson after his abandoned car was found, police said Johnson opened fire, hitting Titan in the leg. Officer Shone was not injured.

Johnson then fired shots at Sgt. David Stang with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, shooting him in the shoulder as he sat in his patrol car. 

Police said Johnson then took his own life.

Investigators with both agencies said no officers or deputies fired their weapons during either of the incidents.

Titan has been recovering at Partridge Animal Hospital in St. Petersburg.

Police said Titan has been recovering well and is able to walk.

"He's up and around but still on antibiotics and pain meds -- he doesn't like that IV too much!" police wrote in an update on Twitter. "Hopefully he'll be able to go home this week."

Meanwhile, Sgt. Stang is recuperating and is expected to make a full recovery.