On January 27, the Mason County Sheriffâs Office, which led an investigation into officersâ use of force in the shooting, notified the public that Arlo had been shot by friendly fire. But it wasnât until weeks later that local outlets like The Olympian, a paper based in Olympia, reported on what had actually happened.
By that point, Arloâs story had taken on a life of its own. The Thurston County Deputy Sheriffâs Foundation organized a GoFundMe page and raised more than $73,000 for Arloâs medical bills. Arlo grew his social media following on TikTok to 2.5 million, and on Instagram to 130,000. Arloâs handler, a deputy with the sheriffâs office, together with another K-9 handler and ex-cop started a website called âVARLO Nation,â a business for law enforcement officers and others to âbuy affordable quality equipment.â No such efforts were made to support the recovery of the suspect, who was hospitalized after being shot a