Shawn Blanton Jr., a 24-year-old member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who was a North Carolina state trooper, was killed on duty on Tuesday.

Blanton made a traffic stop when he was shot twice. Motorists who saw the events unfold called 911 and a suspect was quickly apprehended. Edwardo Wong II has been charged with murder and could face the death penalty.

Blanton was the first tribal member to become a state trooper, Chief Michell Hicks said. “We were all so proud of him,” Hicks told The Asheville Citizen-Times. “This is a small community and something like this hits us hard.”

Blanton worked for the tribe's emergency services department before becoming a trooper. His wife, Michaela, gave birth to their son 17 days ago. The baby was born seven weeks premature and remains in neonatal intensive care in serious conditions, the paper reported.

Get the Story:
Trooper touched lives: ‘He belonged to us’ (The Asheville Citizen-Times 6/19)
‘Super son’ was also coach, new father’ (The Asheville Citizen-Times 6/19)
Funds to benefit the Blanton family (The Asheville Citizen-Times 6/19)
Editorial: Tragic loss of trooper reminds how much we need law officers (The Asheville Citizen-Times 6/19)