Bonne Terre Officer Lane Burns Killed in The Line of Duty

Bonne Terre suffered a great loss that was felt by all the community and the area when Police Officer Lane Burns, 30 years old, was fatally wounded on Thursday, March 17th, 2022 when he and Police Officer Garrett Worley were ambushed at a local motel where they had been responding to a disturbance call.

Governor Mike Parsons issued a proclamation for the U.S. and Missouri flags at all government buildings in St. Francois County to be flown at half-staff on Sunday, March 27th, in honor of Officer Lane Burns.

Governor Parsons said, in his proclamation, “The murder of Lane Burns reminds us of the tremendous debt we owe to the heroes of law enforcement who take on violent criminals that threaten the safety of our communities. We will forever remember Lane Burns for the valor he displayed as he confronted crime and protected others.”

Officer Burns was a Carthage, Missouri native and graduated in 2009 from Carthage High School. He graduated from Mineral Area College Law Enforcement Academy in 2012. Burns had served with the Bonne Terre Police Department for five years.

Officer Lane Burns funeral was held at Mineral Area College on Saturday, March 26th, 2022 with hundreds of people paying their respects. Numerous law enforcement agencies and first responders were in attendance.

On Sunday, March 27th, Lane Burns funeral procession traveled from Desloge and went across the State to Carthage. A large number of law enforcement vehicles and first responders escorted Burns body as they traveled through Washington County on early Sunday morning. The procession came through Potosi just before 10 a.m. There were people along High Street, in front of some of the shops and a small group gathered at the Courthouse.

There were flags along the way, with people showing their respect. The City of Potosi Police and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department closed the side streets and stood at attention as the procession passed.

The procession took Officer Burns to be laid to rest at Harvey Cemetery outside of Carthage on Sunday afternoon.