Trooper David Shawn Blanton, Jr.

David Shawn Blanton, Jr.

Trooper David Blanton was shot and killed while making a traffic stop on I-40 near Canton, North Carolina. A struggle ensued during the stop, and he was fatally shot.

The subject took Trooper Blanton's service weapon and fled the scene. He was apprehended a short time later by deputies from the Haywood County Sheriff's Office and officers from the Canton Police Department. He was subsequently charged with capital murder. The suspect, 38, was convicted of first-degree murder on October 14, 2010, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Trooper Blanton had served with the North Carolina Highway Patrol for two years and had previously served as a dispatcher for the Cherokee Tribal Police Department. Trooper Blanton was the first enrolled member of the eastern band of the Cherokee Tribe to be a North Carolina Trooper, and he served with Troop "G", District 5 in Waynesville. He is survived by his wife, a 2-week-old son, and his mother.

Trooper Blanton's son, Tye, passed away in October 2008 at the age of 4 months.

The tribal council of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians named the bridge in downtown Cherokee Reservation over the Oconaluftee River in honor of Trooper Blanton. The North Carolina Department of Transportation named a bridge on Interstate 40 near Canton, NC, in honor of Trooper Blanton.