Suspect in killing of Delaware trooper ID'd after being shot dead in hourslong standoff

Law enforcement killed the shooter after he barricaded himself in his home.

ByABC News
April 27, 2017, 4:01 PM

— -- The suspect in Wednesday's fatal shooting of a Delaware state trooper was shot and killed today after an hourslong standoff with authorities, according to state police.

Various police agencies had surrounded the evacuated area in Middletown where the man had barricaded himself in his residence on St. Michaels Drive in the Brick Mill Farm development.

Police identified him as Burgon Sealy, 26. After he fled the scene of the shooting at the Wawa convenience store in Bear, Delaware, he contacted family members to say he had shot the trooper, police said in a news conference this afternoon.

The family members then contacted law enforcement, who tracked Sealy to his home.

Earlier this morning, authorities managed to breach numerous windows with explosives but had not yet entered the home. Officers attempted to make contact with the man and persuade him to surrender, state police said.

PHOTO: Police engage in an hours-long standoff at the Brick Mill Farm development with the suspect in a fatal shooting of a state trooper, in Middletown, Del., April 27, 2017.
Police engage in an hours-long standoff at the Brick Mill Farm development with the suspect in a fatal shooting of a state trooper, in Middletown, Del., April 27, 2017.

The man, who was alone, fired more rounds on authorities today around 4 a.m. ET, according to state police. There were no other reported injuries.

He exited the residence at 9:17 a.m. ET and "engaged police," officials said. He was then shot by law enforcement and pronounced dead at the scene at 9:29 a.m. ET, state police said.

Residents in the area were evacuated and the Odessa Fire Company opened its facility to temporarily house the evacuated residents.

PHOTO: Cpl. Stephen Ballard of the Delaware State Police was shot and killed in the parking lot of a Wawa convenience store in Bear, Del., April 26, 2017.
Cpl. Stephen Ballard of the Delaware State Police was shot and killed in the parking lot of a Wawa convenience store in Bear, Del., April 26, 2017.

The standoff stemmed from Wednesday's shooting that claimed the life of Cpl. Stephen Ballard, an eight-year veteran of the Delaware State Police.

Around 10 a.m. ET Wednesday, Ballard observed what police described as a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of the Wawa that had been there for an extended period of time. The trooper, who was in full uniform, made contact with its occupants, who showed their IDs.

Ballard then walked to the passenger side of the red Dodge Charger, he asked Sealy to step out of the car. A struggled then ensued between Ballard and Sealy, state police said, and Sealy removed a firearm from his waistband and pursued Ballard as he attempted to take cover behind a parked vehicle.

Ballard fell, and Sealy fired several rounds at the trooper, striking him, police said. Ballard, 32, was treated at the scene and transported to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries, according to state police.

The investigation into the fatal shooting is ongoing.

PHOTO: Authorities inspect a house after a standoff, on April 27, 2017, in Middletown, Del., between law enforcement and a man police say shot and killed Delaware State Trooper Cpl. Stephen J. Ballard.
Authorities inspect a house after a standoff, on April 27, 2017, in Middletown, Del., between law enforcement and a man police say shot and killed Delaware State Trooper Cpl. Stephen J. Ballard. The unidentified suspected was shot and killed by officers after a 20-hour standoff at his home, state police said Thursday.

The driver of the red Dodge Charger stayed at the scene and was later released after he was taken into custody without incident. Sealy fled on the scene foot before additional troopers arrived and then barricaded himself in the residence, state police said.

Sealy, who was the sole occupant of the home at the time, refused orders to surrender while continuing to fire at police officers.

Around 8:22 p.m., Sealy stopped making contact with police on the scene, who set off an explosive charge on the residence, police said. At 4 a.m., officers reported hearing gunshots, but they did not make contact with Sealy.

At 9:17 a.m., Sealy then exited the home and engaged with police. He was then shot by law enforcement and was pronounced dead on the scene.

ABC News' Courtney Connley, Matt Foster, William Gretsky and Rachel Katz contributed to this report.