‘I’m here because of Jethro’: Canton police officer remembers K9 partner 1 year after death

CANTON, OH (WOIO) – It’s been one year since Canton Police K9 Jethro was shot and killed while responding to a burglar alarm at local grocery store.K9 Jethro, nearly a 3-year-old German shepherd, was shot three times by Kelontre Barefield inside a Fishers Foods store located on Harrison Avenue in the early morning hours of Jan. 9, 2016. Jethro died the next day after surgery. Jethro’s memorial service was held on what would have been his third birthday.The suspect, 23-year-old Kelontre Barefield, was shot in the ankle and arrested after Jethro’s shooting. Barefield initially pleaded not guilty then changed his plea to guilty several months later and was sentenced to prison for more than 30 years for multiple crimes including the shooting death of K9 Jethro.Officer Davis knew this day, Jan. 9, 2017 would be a difficult one, saying only that he’d „probably hide and spend time with his family” to remember his beloved K9 partner.Since K9 Jethro’s death, Davis has received support from thousands of people across the nation. His heartbreaking story reached Houston, Texas two weeks after Jethro’s death when K9s4Cops decided to gift a new K9 to Davis and the Canton Police Department. Hand selected and trained by the Houston K9 Academy, Davis picked Tuko, a 14-month-old German shepherd from Hungary, to be his new partner.Tuko was one of three canines shown to Davis. Cleveland 19 News reporter Sia Nyorkor made the trip to Houston, Texas capturing his emotional journey to find a new partner.One year later, we asked what Davis was most grateful for in 2016, and he said „Being here. I’m here because of Jethro and I can be with my family.”In the past 7 months since K9 Tuko has been in the field with Davis, he has had 14 suspect apprehensions.Five apprehensions with bites and nine apprehensions without bites where the suspect surrendered.”It’s been a long year, a learning year. He’s the youngest I’ve ever had,” said Davis. „He’s starting to come into his own emotionally and stability wise. He’s had a couple street bites and it’s starting to show on him. He looks at everybody a little bit differently now. He is a little suspect of everybody when he comes out of the car plus he also enjoys the work. He jumps out the car and he wants to chase or fight, it doesn’t matter if it’s a bird, a squirrel, a tennis ball, a bad guy he wants to chase it.”