Indiana officer dies 5 weeks after she was shot at traffic stop
RICHMOND, Ind. (WXIX/Gray News) – An Indiana police officer has died five weeks after she was shot in the head in the line of duty at a traffic stop.
Richmond Police K9 Officer Seara Burton died surrounded by her family at Reid Health at 9:59 p.m. Sunday, Richmond Police Chief Michael Britt announced in a prepared statement overnight.
Burton was 28 years old and joined the police department four years ago.
She was gunned down Aug. 10, just nine days before she was supposed to get married.
Burton was hospitalized for three weeks at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton. Her injuries were described as “unrecoverable,” and she was removed from life support Sept. 1. She was moved to a hospice facility Sept. 3.
Police described her as “amazing” as she battled the odds.
“Seara continues to fight and show her strength,” a Sept. 15 update from the police department on Facebook read. “Please keep up the thoughts and prayers.”
Final arrangements are pending and will be announced when the details are available, according to the chief.
“We would sincerely like to thank the Richmond community, and those who have supported Seara, her family, and the department from near and far,” he wrote.
On Monday, the Richmond Police Department along with multiple other agencies will escort Burton’s remains back home from Dayton.
The suspect charged with her shooting, 47-year-old Phillip M. Lee of Richmond, is being held on a $1.5 million bond at an Indiana jail.
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