York City Police Department
End of Watch: April 12, 1971
Fury was a three-year-old German Shepherd male and was the partner of Patrolman Frank A. Tortorici.
On Monday, April 12, 1971, Theodore Roosevelt "Ted" Gotwalt, 26, murdered Marian L. Flaharty, 24, of 702 Madison Avenue, in front of her three-year-old daughter in her second-floor apartment. Her body was discovered around 10:00-10:30 a.m. after she failed to drop off her daughter at the babysitter. Gotwalt was identified as the suspect, and an intensive manhust was begun by multiple police agencies.
At about 9:15 p.m. that evening, York City Patrolmen Frank A. Tortorici and Gordon E. Fleming were entering Legore's Restaurant on Carlisle Avenue at Brougher Lane in West Manchester Township. Gotwalt, who was at the counter having just ordered food, saw the officers and fled. Fleming ordered Gotwalt to halt, who responded by firing a handgun at the officers. The officers returned fire as Tortorici returned to the patrol car to release his canine, Fury. As Gotwalt continued to fire on the officers, they held their fire due to bystanders in the area. Gotwalt continued firing, running toward a house trailer about 200 feet from the restaurant. Gotwalt turned north and crossed a hedgerow, with Fleming taking cover by a trailer and again returning fire. As Gotwalt reached a fence, Fury caught up with him. Gotwalt cleared the fence and Fury took a gunshot. Gotwalt pinned officers down with gunfire for a short period of time, then disappeared. Fury died a few moments later at the scene.
Around 1:00 p.m. the next afternoon, Gotwalt took Mrs. James Eisenhour hostage in her home along East Berlin Road. About 3:30 p.m., Gotwalt fled in a blue 1962 Corvair taken from Eisenhour. Gotwalt abandoned that car near the Guy Hobbs hunting lodge in Dover Township. Walking about a half-mile, Gotwalt encountered Miss Miriam L. Altland at her home on Paradise Road near Davidsburg, in Dover Township about 4:55 p.m. Altland was gardening in her yard when she was approached by Gotwalt. Recognzing him as a wanted fugitive, Altland kept her cool as she entered her home to get Gotwalt a glass of water, locking the home as she exited. Refusing to get him more water or allow him into her home, Gotwalt threatened Altland with his handgun. She responded "Go ahead and shoot me. I never hurt anyone in my life." Gotwalt sat and rested as Altand pretended to continue working in her garden, covertly tossing her keys and working her way away from Gotwalt. Altland fled in a neighbor's truck as it passed by her home, and a second neighbor observed Gotwalt and called the police.
Gotwalt then broke into the Altland home, which was quickly surrounded by police. As police called for Gotwalt to surrender, and prepared to enter the home, a single gunshot rang out from inside the home. Police entered and found Gotwalt down from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. A State Police helicopter circling the scene landed, and transported Gotwalt to Memorial Osteopathic Hospital. Gotwalt underwent surgery and was admitted to the intensive care unit, where he succumed to his wound at 1:23 p.m. on Thursday.
Fury was buried on Thursday, April 15, 1971 at a pet cemetery near Seven Valleys. That same day, a litter of eight puppies sired by Fury were born in York, with one puppy closely resembling Fury.
