In Loving Memory of
K-9 Quanto
November 16, 1999

Handle: Officer J.J.. Thurne 
Jacksonville  Sheriff's Department
FL 

Officer keeps reliving struggle, mourns loss of K-9 companion By Kathleen Sweeney Times-Union staff writer
The shooting plays continuously in Jacksonville police Officer J.J. Thurne's mind: Releasing his K-9 partner Quanto to chase after an armed robbery suspect. Quanto tiring as the suspect beat him with his hands and legs. The numbness in his hand, not realizing part of his trigger finger had been torn away after a shot was fired. Quanto lying on his side and not moving after a nudge. The 21-year Jacksonville Sheriff's Office veteran remembers it vividly each time he tells the story since he was shot last week by a robbery suspect who had escaped from jail. It's a story he's told many officers who have stopped him in the hallway at the Police Memorial Building, where he returned to work part time yesterday. ''You look back and wonder what you could have done to prevent this or make it come out in a different light,'' he said. ''If I could trade a finger for the dog, there wouldn't be a question. The dog is the hardest thing to deal with.'' After a week of grieving, planning a memorial service for his partner of two years and meeting with doctors, Thurne, 41, is learning to be a ''lefty'' and looking forward to meeting his new partner. But Thurne knows the new dog won't be able to replace the one he lost in the shooting. Gary Lee Neil, 22, who is accused of shooting Thurne and killing Quanto, is being held at the Duval County jail. He is charged with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, killing a police dog and escape. Police are still searching for the driver of the dark blue Chevrolet that Neil jumped from that night. Thurne said an officer never knows whom he will encounter on the street. That night, he didn't know it was the same man he and Quanto helped arrest in January after a shooting at a Burger King restaurant on San Pablo Road and chase with police. He remembers struggling with him then. It wasn't any different last week, Thurne said. The man continued to fight even after Quanto bit him on the leg for the third time. Thurne grabbed the man and started applying pressure around his neck when the suspect reached back to grab his gun. It was then they struggled for the weapon and the gun fired. Thurne felt his hand go numb, but he didn't realize he or Quanto had been shot. The bullet plunged through the middle knuckle of his right index finger and came out above the top knuckle. The struggle continued as Thurne tried to get control of the gun. Before they went to the ground, the man tried pointing the gun toward his chest. ''I knew I was in trouble,'' he said. Though Thurne was tiring, he kept fighting, '''cause I know I was going to die if I didn't,'' he said. Thurne tried to fire as the suspect dashed into nearby woods until he noticed his finger was nearly torn away. By the time he switched hands, the man was gone. Other officers found him hiding in a garage a few blocks away. Thurne, a father of three children ages 12, 10 and 6, didn't tell his youngest what happened for days. The others took the news hard. ''He [Quanto] was big and mean, but you knew when his feelings were hurt,'' Thurne said. ''He's just like a child. With the exception of the dog, I feel I came out smelling like roses considering the alternatives.'' Thurne's been shot at before, he said. But he now thinks there may be other alternatives to handling dangerous situations and isn't sure how he'll react the next time he's faced with sending his dog after a suspect. For now, he is working administrative duties until he recovers and has another surgery to replace the bone in his right index finger. He hopes to regain use of his finger. Quanto, 4, will remain at the city morgue until his burial, which could be in a few months. Thurne said they are waiting for the new police academy to open to bury him on site. ''He was a pretty amazing dog,'' he said, proudly. ''Quanto was doing his job. He was getting tired. He ultimately saved my life.''