Procession held for Richmond police officer Seara Burton who died in line of duty
RICHMOND, Ind. — People lined the streets to honor the life of Richmond police officer Seara Burton who died on Sunday night after she was shot in the line of duty.
On Monday, police escorted her body to Richmond from the Dayton hospital where she died.
“It was pretty devastating. You don’t want it to be anybody or any officer, but it was heartbreaking,” Abbie Weatherly, a Richmond resident said.
With broken hearts, hundreds of people got together outside the Richmond Police Department for Officer Seara Burton.
The 28-year-old was shot during a traffic stop on Aug. 10th.
A procession passed by Burton’s police car before making its final stop at the funeral home at West National Road and 8th Street.
She died just before 10 p.m. at a hospital in Dayton surrounded by her loved ones.
Her death has been difficult for many people in the community.
“She’s only a year older than my wife and you know, it hit us at home and we really didn’t know what to do,” Kenneth Shaffer, a Wayne County resident said.
“When we found out, we were all in shock especially since it was Seara. She’s so friendly. She worked third shift, so she was always in and out of the hospital. I didn’t know her personally, but I did know from seeing her,” Weatherly said.
“I said please no, not Richmond. We’ve been through enough here and as reports (came) in my heart just sank,” Tim Ratliff, a Richmond resident said.
According to the Richmond Police Department, Officer Burton was on life support in Dayton until Sept. 1 when doctors said she wouldn’t be able to survive her injuries.
Weatherly says she was working at Reid Health in the emergency room the day Burton was shot.
“It’s just terrible to have to witness it, and then how long everything has been going on. It’s a lot for everybody,” Weatherly said.
Community members say they will be thinking of Burton and her family.
“She may have passed, but at the end of the day this community is going to stay strong because of her,” Shaffer said.
On Sunday, the Richmond Police Department shared a Facebook post that said it will be providing an update on funeral arrangements.
