RICHMOND, INDIANA — Richmond Police Officer Seara Burton remains in critical condition at Miami Valley Hospital and continues to fight one week after she was shot in the head during a traffic stop, police Chief Michael Britt said Wednesday.
The update that offered a public-facing comment on the 28-year-old officer’s condition and her colleagues is the second formal statement from Chief Britt since the Aug. 10 shooting in the 200 block of North 12th Street.
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“There have been some bright spots since Wednesday but her condition is still very serious,” Britt said in the statement. “The doctors and nurses are providing [Burton] with the best possible medical care, and we are very grateful. We as a department, and a community continue to hope and pray for her recovery.”
Britt, in the statement, also updates the community on Officer Burton’s K-9 partner Brev, who was with the officer and helping with the traffic stop on a moped when Phillip Lee, who was operating the bike, pulled a handgun and shot her at close range. Other officers who were assisting with the stop chased and shot Lee as he ran.
He was apprehended and remains in the Wayne County, Indiana, Jail on two counts of attempted murder and other felonies.
Brev is currently “being cared for by one of our investigators that is a former K-9 handler,’ the chief said. “He is in excellent hands and is being cared for in the best possible way.”
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About the other officers in the department, Britt said they are “navigating through some difficult times as we wait to see Seara’s progress. The officers of the RPD are strong and pulling together to support each other..”
Britt ended his statement by thanking the Richmond community and asking everyone to join the department in continued prayers for Burton, her family and the department.
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