Man accused of shooting Richmond Officer makes first court appearance, waives extradition

DAYTON — The man police say shot a Richmond Police Officer last month appeared in a Montgomery County courtroom Tuesday morning, marking his first court appearance since being released from the hospital.

News Center 7 was in court Tuesday when Phillip Lee, 47, of Richmond, appeared before a judge in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court and waived his extradition. This means that once notified, Indiana authorities will be able to come take him into custody and take him back to Indiana.

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Lee has been accused of shooting Officer Seara Burton, 28, on Aug. 10 during a traffic stop.

Other officers on the scene returned fire and Lee fled on foot, according to police. After a brief foot chase, Lee was apprehended and treated for gunshot wounds by the officers. He was later taken to Miami Valley Hospital and remained there until he was discharged Saturday. He was then booked in the Montgomery County Jail.

Burton was critically injured in the shooting. After spending three weeks at Miami Valley Hospital, Burton’s injuries were described as “unrecoverable” and she was taken off life support on Sept. 1. She was transported to a hospice facility in Richmond on Sept. 3 and that is where she remains as of Tuesday.

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Lee has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, three counts of drug possession and one count of possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, according to Wayne County court documents.

Lee was on parole at the time of the shooting. Once taken into custody by Indiana authorities, he will be taken to an Indiana state prison facility for violating his parole. His maximum release date for the parole violation would be April 2, 2024, according to an Indiana Department of Corrections official.

We’ll update this story as we learn more.

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