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On January 18th 2003 at
0200 hours, Dan Settle and his partner, K-9 Urk, started their shift
with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department accompanied by
a Deputy Explorer Scout ride-along. Shortly a call of “shots
fired” was made from the communications center at the Vista
Detention Facility. Deputies parked outside believed they were taking
rounds and Deputies inside the facility heard the rounds and believed
the facility was under attack. At the same time, command staff within
the facility was calling for help. The shooter was believed to be hiding in a bushy area near the facility. Arriving deputies heard shots fired and some deputies, while exiting their vehicles, felt concussions on their chests of the rounds being fired. |
As
you can imagine, this type of call summoned nearly every Deputy
in the city. A perimeter was set on the bushy area in an attempt
to take this madman into custody. Dan and Urk arrived to assist.
While Deputies were setting the perimeter, more shots were fired approximately two blocks away. There were sufficient Deputies at Dan’s location, so he advised the communications center that he would check into the shots fired West of his location. Dan was under the impression that the person(s) shooting in the area were conducting “drive-by’s” and he believed the secondary shots were coming from a few blocks away. Dan, the Deputy Explorer and Urk arrived at 1280 Hacienda at 0227 hours. As Dan drove East on Hacienda, the Deputy Explorer observed an open car door on a parked car on the right side of the street. Dan was scanning a parked car on the left side of the street and by the time Dan turned to look to the right; they had passed the car. Dan continued down the street until he was able to make a U-turn. He turned back and parked his unit about three parked cars East of the original car the Explorer observed. As soon as Dan exited his unit and turned his spotlight on the parked car, his eyes focused in on a murdering madman with a 12-Gauge leveled and pointed directly at him and the Explorer. Without warning or provocation, the suspect opened fire with slug rounds. The front window of Dan’s patrol unit exploded and he saw his Explorer fall over in the driver’s seat. Believing his Explorer was dead, Dan was able to put out a call for help (11-99) and that his ride-along was down. Dan opened his remote canine’s emergency door-pop and before he could take a second breath, the suspect fired again – then again. The suspect slowly and methodically advanced toward Dan, the Explorer and Urk firing his shotgun. Dan drew his Glock and returned fire. A furious, violent firefight erupted between Dan and the suspect. Out of pure courageousness, Dan faced a man who had a weapon with nearly three times the firepower and stared death in the face. Without knowing if the Explorer was dead (the Explorer was wounded but survived), Dan selflessly risked his life, stood his ground and exchanged rounds to protect the Explorer. The confrontation escalated to a fierce state of madness. Even though Dan was in a battle where he facing overwhelming firepower, he was able to turn the tables on the suspect who turned and ran away with shotgun in hand. The firefight then turned into a running gun battle. Dan heroically gave chase. The suspect took up a cover position behind a parked car. At this time, the first responding Deputy arrived with an AR-15 rifle. The brazen suspect chose to engage not only Dan, but also the additional Deputy with the AR-15. After exchanging rounds with both deputies, the coward chose to run across Interstate 78. During his flight, the suspect turned from about fifty feet away and once again engaged both deputies, attempting to kill them. Realizing his rounds were ineffective at this range, Dan immediately ran back to his unit to help his Explorer. As Dan ran towards his unit, he saw the canine door open. Dan called out to his fateful partner. As he got closer to the unit, his saw Urk lying next to his unit facing in the direction of where the suspect was first observed. When the suspect fired the first or second round, a slug entered through the windshield and passed through the sliding front door of the canine carrier. The round struck Urk on the left shoulder at an angle that caused the round to bounce off. Sadly, shrapnel from the same round passing through the unit struck Urk in the chest. Urk was mortally wounded from the shrapnel. Urk’s drive to catch the bad guy was so intense that even with his last breath, the last beat of his heroic and brave heart, he exited his unit in the face of death and started towards the suspect. When everyone else would have run away from such a furious firefight, Urk went running towards it with only one thing in mind… to protect Dan. As Urk passed, he laid facing and staring in the direction of the suspect… Urk went into service with the department on April 22nd 1999. He left the department a hero, on January 18th, 2003, at 0227 in the morning. Over his career Urk had 33 felony apprehensions, 203 arrests, conducted 576 field searches, 816 building searches, took part in 567 evidence searches, 432 tracking searches and protected his handler and other deputies/officers 1203 times. Urk will always be a legend in the San Diego County canine unit. Only a few were ever honored with meeting Dan and Urk as a team. Fewer yet ever had the privilege of watching them work together. Urk died a hero… doing what he loved — “serving and protecting” the citizens of San Diego County. Protecting his handler with his last breath. Urk gave his life so Dan could go home and be with his wife, children and fellow deputies. Urk is and always will be a hero in many hearts. Over two thousand people came to Urk’s service to pay their last respects. Outside agencies, canine units from around the county, media and the public were there to say goodbye to a fateful partner. Rest in Peace
Urk, you will be sorely missed, old friend. |
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(800)
444-0404
