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Police Shooting Justified After Nearly 20 Hour Barricade

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creative commons

DOVER, Del. (AP) - Delaware's attorney general has released a report confirming that the use of deadly force was justified in the killing of a man who exchanged gunfire with police during a lengthy standoff after fatally shooting a state trooper.

In a report dated Tuesday, authorities said 26-year-old Burgon Sealy Jr. immediately began firing at officers who converged on his family's house in Middletown after he shot and killed Cpl. Stephen Ballard in the parking lot of a convenience store last April.

After a standoff of almost 20 hours, during which additional shots were fired, Sealy emerged from the home holding a handgun. Eleven officers opened fire on Sealy, who fell to the ground and was shot at again as he appeared to be reaching for another gun in his waistband.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.