From a young age, Carthage native Lane Burns knew he wanted to be a police officer. Back when the Carthage Press asked Preschoolers what they wanted to be when they grow up, his quote, “When I grow up, I want to be a policeman,” and his picture remind us of his life-long passion to serve and protect his community. And that is exactly what he grew up to do.
Sadly, on Thursday, March 17, 2022, tragedy struck when he and another officer, Officer Garrett Worley, responded to a disturbance at Motel 6 at 1017 Highway K in Bonne Terre, Mo.
Missouri Highway Patrol Cpl. Dallas Thompson reported that when officers approached one of the rooms, the suspect, identified as 21-year-old James Emory, came out and opened fire. Both officers were hit but were able to return fire, killing Emory.
After Burns was shot, paramedics rushed him by ambulance to Parkland North Hospital in Bonne Terre. Jason Coplin, coroner for St. Francois County, said rescuers and doctors tried for more than an hour to save Burns.
“They worked on him awhile and just couldn’t get him to come back,” Coplin said.
Burns was pronounced dead at 1:46 a.m. Thursday, the coroner said.
“He did have a vest on, but it just barely missed his vest,” Coplin said. “By maybe an inch.”
Burns’ fiancé, Shannon Chasteen told KMOV-TV, she regularly listens to a scanner app on her phone when Burns is on duty. She said she was listening when Burns and the other officers were dispatched to the motel for a disturbance.
“And I texted him to say be safe because dispatch said the guy had a gun. I texted him ‘be safe,’ he read the message and about three or four minutes later I heard the third officer yelling for help on the radio. He needed backup because two officers had been shot,” said Chasteen.
She said Burns loved being a police officer in Bonne Terre. A former training officer described Burns as someone who was smart, had a big heart, and cared about people.
“I want to give him a hug and I just want somebody to tell me that he’s okay. but he’s not. I mean he’s with God,” Chasteen added.
“This is something that every officer fears. They always have it in the back of their mind,” Thompson said. “The ‘what-ifs’ and ‘if there’s something like this could ‘happen’. So whenever someone opens up a door and you’re not expecting them to pull a gun and start firing on yet that quickly. It is very dangerous,” Thompson had told KMOV-TV in the hours after the shooting. “They always have that in the back of their mind.”
“This is a small community, a smaller community, smaller police department, so it really hits hard for those folks here,” Thompson said. “It’s going to be a tough next few weeks as they deal with the aftermath of this and their community for the rest of the officers.”
The Carthage community, too, is mourning one of their own. Burns was born and raised in Carthage, graduating from Carthage High School in 2009.
Mrs. Angela Holman, Principal at Carthage High School, shared, “We are saddened to hear of Lane’s passing. Our community feels the deep weight of this tragic loss. His loss affects us all – those who know him and those who didn’t. He was one of us, a Carthage Tiger. From all of us at Carthage High School, our hearts go out to his family and friends. We are sad about another loss our community and others are facing. It adds to the tragedy many are experiencing right now.”
Yesterday, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) released the following statement on the death of Bonne Terre Police Officer Lane Burns, who was killed in the line of duty:
“This morning, Bonne Terre Police Officer Lane Burns tragically lost his life in the line of duty. Officer Burns’ fiancé said he loved being a police officer and he loved the department. Officer Burns lived a life of service and purpose in protecting those around him. Abby and I send our deepest condolences to his family and the Bonne Terre Police Department. Our thoughts are also with Corporal Garrett Worley who was injured and remains hospitalized.”
Burns had been with the Bonne Terre police force about five years and had worked for the St. Francois County sheriff’s office and nearby municipal departments before that, Thompson said.
Lt. Bill Stegall, assistant chief in Bonne Terre, called Burns a “dedicated officer.”
Part-time Bonne Terre Police Officer, Amy Benneke, said, “He would do anything for anyone, and he gave up his life for this town.”
Officer Burns leaves behind a fiancé, Shannon Chasteen, a 9-year-old daughter, and a 5-year-old son.
The Missouri Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control is handling the investigation.
