Shot twice in the face, officer thought he died

Seconds later the police officer thought he was a dead man when gunshots rang out.

"It happened very fast," said Hurton, 32, who calmly described the April 14 attack in an interview yesterday at police headquarters in Framingham. "The first shot, I didn't even realize that I was shot. My hands came up as a reflex. And after that second shot hit me, I knew what had happened. . . . The first thought I had was that I got killed."

Hurton quickly realized that he was still alive, but badly wounded. He was one of several police officers searching for three men who had robbed a taxi driver at gunpoint on Alexander Street around 10 p.m. The suspects had run onto Beaver Street to escape pursuing police.

Wracked with pain, Hurton stumbled out onto Beaver Street, struggling to stay on his feet, fearing that if he collapsed behind the building no one would find him in time.

"The bullet that went into my face knocked me backward; it didn't knock me down," he said. "I was alone behind the building, and I decided to walk back to where my cruiser was, because I wasn't sure how long I was going to be able to stay on my feet. I just wanted to get back to the street where someone would find me easier."

Officer Timothy O'Toole found his wounded colleague, called for an ambulance, and then the two started trying to slow the flow of blood pouring out of the body of the former Marine. Hurton said he was deployed overseas between 1995 and 1999, but never saw combat.

Hurton said the first bullet fired into his face grazed his right cheek and right ear. Reflexively, he put his hands in front of his face, and the second bullet pushed through his left hand, shredding his pinkie finger. It then went through his right wrist, ripping open an artery, entering his face above his mouth, and then slammed into his jaw, destroying several teeth.

He was taken by MedFlight to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was put into a medically induced coma. It was only several days later that he awoke and spoke once again to his wife, Christina.

Hurton spoke with a Globe reporter while one of his mentors in the department sat nearby. Lieutenant Paul Shastany was among the commanders who recommended that Hurton be hired away from Wayland.

Shastany said Hurton's recovery is a relief to his colleagues.

"It's difficult when somebody you care about, who you are friendly with, is near death," Shastany said.

Both Hurton and Shastany said officers have been buoyed by the support from the community.

Three men have been charged in the shooting, including 22-year-old Sahr Josiah, who is accused of shooting Hurton with a .40-caliber pistol.

Hurton said his recovery has moved faster than doctors predicted and that he hopes to return to the department he joined in 2005.

He said his wife, his parents, and his two younger brothers support his decision to return. "It's important work," he said. "I enjoy doing it. It's something where I can have an impact on the community."

Hurton said he has kept all the cards from well-wishers and has reserved a special place for a gift from a young girl whose name he does not know.

He keeps the framed four-leaf clover on his nightstand.

"A lot of it had to do with luck," Hurton said of his survival. "I'm not an overly religious person, but I think that something must have stepped in to save my life. I was shot at close range with a pistol to my face. A lot of people wouldn't have survived that. It could have been worse than it was. . . . But I'm still here."