AP

Slain Indiana officer’s fiancée recalls her life at funeral

Sep 26, 2022, 12:35 AM | Updated: 12:45 pm

Officers salute the casket of Officer Seara Burton during  funeral services Monday, Sept. 26, 2022,...

Officers salute the casket of Officer Seara Burton during funeral services Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, inside Richmond High School in Richmond, Ind. Burton was shot and killed in the line of duty. (Mykal McEldowney/The Indianapolis Star via AP)

(Mykal McEldowney/The Indianapolis Star via AP)


              Officer Seara Burton's K9, makes his way to Officer Seara Burton's casket during a funeral service on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, inside Richmond High School in Richmond, Ind. Burton was shot and killed in the line of duty. (Mykal McEldowney/The Indianapolis Star via AP)
            
              People wait in line for the funeral services for Officer Seara Burton being held Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, inside Richmond High School in Richmond, Ind. Burton was shot and killed in the line of duty. (Mykal McEldowney/The Indianapolis Star via AP)
            
              Richmond Mayor David Snow and Richmond Police Department Lt. Donnie Benedict talk about the impact of fallen Officer Seara Burton during her funeral service Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, inside Richmond High School in Richmond, Ind. Burton was shot and killed in the line of duty. (Mykal McEldowney/The Indianapolis Star via AP)
            
              Officers salute the casket of Officer Seara Burton during  funeral services Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, inside Richmond High School in Richmond, Ind. Burton was shot and killed in the line of duty. (Mykal McEldowney/The Indianapolis Star via AP)
            
              FILE - Evidence markers dot the scene, Aug. 10, 2022, on Richmond, Ind., where Richmond Police Department Officer Seara Burton was critically wounded and a man was injured in a shootout following a traffic stop. Burton died Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022 at a Reid Health facility surrounded by her family, the department said in a statement posted to Facebook. (Mike Emery/The Palladium-Item via AP, File)

RICHMOND, Ind. (AP) — An eastern Indiana police officer who died last week after being shot in the head during an August traffic stop was remembered by her fiancée Monday during her funeral as an upbeat person who was the love of her life.

Hundreds of mourners, many of them police officers, filled Richmond High School for services for Officer Seara Burton, 28. The Richmond officer died on Sept. 18, more than two weeks after she was removed from life support and later moved to hospice care.

Her fiancée, Sierra Neal, said they felt an immediate connection when they met during the summer of 2021. The couple was days away from getting married when Burton was shot.

Neal said Burton. a four-year Richmond police veteran, loved her job and managed to stay upbeat no matter what happened while she was on duty.

“Behind that badge was the woman of my dreams. A woman who could be treated and talked to in awful ways for eight hours a day at work and could still come home and laugh and be so kind-hearted,” she said tearfully.

Burton’s stepmother, Ami Miller, who is herself a Richmond police officer, said she was incredibly proud of her stepdaughter.

“Seara had the determination and drive that all of us should strive for,” she said.

After the funeral services, a procession carrying Burton’s casket began a roughly 65-mile (105-kilometer) journey west to Indianapolis for her burial at Crown Hill Cemetery. There, she will be interred in a section dedicated to public safety heroes.

Burton was critically wounded in an Aug. 10 shooting after other officers stopped Phillip Matthew Lee, 47, and Burton was called to the scene to assist with her police dog.

Court documents allege that Lee pulled out a gun and fired shots toward the officers, shooting Burton. Other officers returned fire and Lee was apprehended following a foot chase.

Prosecutors have charged him with three counts of attempted murder, as well as drug and weapons charges. He has pleaded not guilty. It is unclear whether those charges will be revised to reflect Burton’s death.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

1 day ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

1 day ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

1 day ago

islamic state attack...

Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press

What we know after the Islamic State group claims responsibility for Moscow massacre

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people.

5 days ago

Moscow shooting...

The Associated Press

Russia: 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100.

6 days ago

Photo: Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visits 282 (East Ham) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets, Cornwel...

Associated Press

Kate Middleton announces she has cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, says she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer. She has been out of view since Christmas.

6 days ago

Slain Indiana officer’s fiancée recalls her life at funeral