A K-9 Officer who sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head while she was on duty was taken off life support on Thursday, according to authorities.
Richmond Police Chief Michael Britt said in a statement on Thursday that 28-year-old Seara Burton "is still alive and surrounded by family."
The Indiana officer was shot in the head on August 10 when she and her K-9 partner were called on to assist other officers in what has been described as a drug-related incident, Richmond Police said in a statement.
On August 10, the Richmond Police Narcotics Unit was carrying out an operation and reportedly saw 47-year-old Phillip Lee stop at a garage where they believe a drug deal had taken place, authorities said, per WTHR. Officers then proceeded to stop Lee on the 200 Block of North 12th Street.
At around 6:30 PM local time, Burton - who was Richmond's first female K-9 Officer - arrived on the scene with her police dog, Brev, and had the canine carry out an open-air sniff on Lee and the moped he had been driving, according to the outlet.
The open-air sniff was said to have shown the officers that narcotics were indeed present, police said.
As law enforcement talked to Lee, police say he pulled out a firearm and began shooting, hitting Burton, a four-year veteran in the department, in the head. When officers returned fire, Lee ran away.
Burton, who had only recently become a K-9 Officer, was rushed to Miami Valley Hospital in critical condition, Chief Michael Britt said in a release on August 18.
"There have been some bright spots since Wednesday but her condition is still very serious," he wrote, per WRTV. "The doctors and nurses are providing her 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."
It was announced on Wednesday that Burton would be taken off life support the following day.
"Her injuries have been determined to be unrecoverable," Chief Michael Britt, Major Jon Bales and Major Aly Tonuc said in the statement, per WDTN.
On Friday, Chief Britt wrote in an update that "Officer Seara Burton's condition did not change much overnight and she is still with us this morning."
"She still remains off of life support," he continued. "We are closely monitoring the situation and we will provide updates to the public as the situation progresses. Seara continues to remind us just how strong she is."
Burton was all set to tie the knot with her fiancée Sierra Neal last month. The shooting incident took place just nine days before their big day.
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