On March 31, 2004, Deputy Sheriff Christopher Michael Burgert, 30, of the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office in Towanda, Pennsylvania, was shot and killed while attempting to serve an arrest warrant in Wells Township. He and Deputy Michael Van Kuren went to a private residence to apprehend a man who had failed to appear in court. Both deputies were shot by the suspect, Dustin Briggs; despite wearing bullet-resistant vests, both were struck in unprotected areas and died at the scene.

Two family members of the suspect were taken into custody immediately while Briggs and another man fled. After a two-day manhunt both men were captured. Briggs was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in 2006 and was sentenced to death. Burgert, a Pennsylvania Air National Guard veteran, had served six years with the sheriff’s department and is survived by his wife and son.

Are there readers who remember the community response in Bradford County at the time or who have memories of Deputy Burgert to share?