PO Seara Burton
Officer: Richmond Police Department, Police Officer Seara Burton
Date: 9/18/2022 Location: Richmond, IN FACTORS (1,2,3,8,9,15,21)
Perpetrator(s) Involved: Phillip Matthew Lee
Criminal Activity History/Involved: Yes, Lee has been in trouble with the law since he was 14 and served more than 20 years in prison for various crimes since his first conviction in 1994. / Yes, Lee had just completed a drug deal and illegally possessed a handgun.
Mental Illness: None stated.
Substance Abuse History/Involved: Yes, Lee used drugs and was a “known drug dealer” to the police. / Yes, Lee was observed conducting a drug deal and was in possession of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin when he was arrested.
Race/Sex/Age: White/Male/47
What prompted the initial contact with the killer? At around 6:30 p.m. on August 10, 2022, Wayne County Drug Task Force officers observed Phillip Lee conduct a drug transaction and was stopped as he drove his moped. The officers requested a K9 officer for a drug search and Richmond PO Seara Burton responded to the scene with her partner, K9 Brev who subsequently alerted to the presence of narcotics on the moped.
Actions taken by subject toward police: Lee ignored commands from Police Officers Cody Phillips and Austin Adams directing him to keep his hands away from his pockets. As Officer Burton walked towards him after securing K9 Brev in her patrol vehicle, Lee accessed a concealed handgun and began shooting at the officers, hitting PO Burton in the head.
Reactions by the police: Officers Phillip and Adams returned fire at Lee who fled the scene despite being shot and was captured shortly afterwards. PO Burton was rushed to a hospital and then airlifted to another one but after five weeks she succumbed to her wounds. Lee was transported to a hospital, treated for his gunshot wounds and remained in police custody.
How murdered? PO Burton was shot by a drug dealer while assisting other officers on a traffic stop.
What could have been done differently for the officer to still be alive? Given they observed Lee conduct a drug deal, the officers could have placed him in handcuffs for their safety while they searched his moped. At the very least, given Lee’s noncompliance to their commands, the officers should have gained physical control over Lee and searched him.
Would the officer have been justified to use deadly force before being murdered? PO Burton and the other officers would have been justified to use deadly force when they observed Lee making a furtive movement towards his waist band/pockets.
Outcome for the cop-killer: Lee was shot, given medical care, taken into custody and charged with “three counts of attempted murder, three drug possession counts for methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin and possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon.”
Miscellaneous: Lee was a career criminal who should have still been in prison serving the full seven-year sentence instead of being released December 31, 2021, after serving only half of it.
