CANTON, N.C. -- A young N.C. Highway Patrol trooper killed in the line of duty was honored and laid to rest Saturday morning.

Trooper David Shawn Blanton, 24, was killed during a traffic stop on Tuesday night.

---

Video:

Young Trooper Killed In Line Of Duty

South Carolina Widow Recalls Similar Loss

Deaths Of Troopers Has Lasting Impact

Trooper's Brother, Aunt Mourn Family's Loss

Trooper's Colleagues Pay Tribute

---

People came from all over the country to pay their respects. State troopers from the Carolinas, Georgia and even Washington lined the road to honor one of their own.

Blanton's friends and colleagues spoke after the procession arrived and everyone had taken their seats.

"He was a very driven young man," said, Michell Hicks, the principal chief of the Eastern Cherokee Tribe. "(He wasn't) very big in stature, but when it came to heart, he had a great heart. He was a very athletic young man."

"One of the first things you notice about Shawn was his smile and his uncontrollable giggle," Blanton's patrol partner, Trooper J.P. Henderson, said. "If you stood around Shawn for any amount of time, you heard him giggle."

Visitation for Blanton was Friday from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Wells Funeral home in Canton, N.C.

His funeral was held Saturday at 11 a.m. at the George R. Stuart Auditorium at the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center. The visitation and funeral were open to the public.

"He was a son, a grandson, a brother, a best friend, a husband, a daddy," Henderson said. "But most of all, he's our hero, and we're here to celebrate his life."

On Thursday, Blanton's wife, Michaela, thanked people for their support and asked for prayers for their newborn son, who was born seven weeks prematurely.

"(He was) always ready to joke and to laugh," Blanton's pastor, David Christy, said. "Shawn reminded those of us who knew him or how close we are to God's love. He was just one of those people who just made you feel better from being around him."

Michaela Blanton released a statement saying, "We sincerely appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers for our family and especially for our son, Tye."

Funds Established For Blanton Family

Donations to help Trooper Blanton's wife and baby can sent to:

State Employees Credit Union
c/o Michaela Blanton Fund
PO Box 15185
Asheville, NC 28813
Acct. # 60460003

OR

Champion Credit Union
c/o Michaela Blanton Fund
PO BOX 1389
Canton, NC 28716

Designate checks to the Michaela Blanton Fund.

An account for Michaela Blanton and her son Tye, has also been set up by her church, Canton Central United Methodist Church.

Contributions may be sent to:

Central United Methodist Church
P.O. Box 792
Canton, N.C. 28716

Donations should be earmarked: Blanton Fund.

Money can also be deposited directly into the Blanton Fund at any HomeTrust Bank.

If the funds are sent to the church, the Blanton family will be notified that a memorial donation was made to the fund.

For more information, call the church at 828-648-7270.

Blanton Gunned Down During Traffic Stop

The Highway Patrol said Blanton was conducting a traffic stop in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 near exit 31 at about 10:20 p.m. on Tuesday

Highway Patrol Lt. A.J. Dickey said, "We don't know why he stopped him. He got the operator of the car outside and from eye witnesses, they were seen talking along side his patrol car."

Then Blanton was shot twice.

Witnesses along I-40 not only saw the shots fired they saw the suspect's car. They passed that information along to 911 dispatchers who relayed it to officers at the scene.

Crews took Blanton to Mission Hospital in Asheville.

Just 20 minutes after the shooting, suspect 37-year-old Edwardo Wong II of Ormond Beach, Fla., was taken into custody.

"Citizens giving us good information led to the quick apprehension of the suspect," Alexander said.

Troopers followed Wong when he left I-40 at exit 33. They arrested him on Newfound Road and Scruggs Circle Road at 10:40 a.m. after some sort of confrontation.

Haywood County Sheriff Tom Alexander said, "There is some speculation that shots were fired. Nobody was hit. They weren't fired by officers. (They are) believed fired by the suspect."

They said Wong had three guns in his truck when he was arrested, one of which was Blanton's weapon. But on Friday, Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Everett Clendenin said Blanton was not killed with his own weapon. Clendenin did not say what weapon was used to kill the trooper.

This was the first fatal assault on a trooper since 1997. Seven other North Carolina Highway Patrol troopers have died in the line of duty since that time, but all as a result of traffic related incidents. To see a list of those officers in the Upstate and mountains who have lost their lives in the line of duty, click here

Wong was charged with murder and is being held without bond in the Haywood County Jail. His bond was denied during a brief court appearance Wednesday afternoon. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

Wong has an extensive criminal record from 1994 to 2005 with convictions for several violent crimes including two for aggravated assault and resisting an officer with violence. According to his record, he was in custody for various crimes from February 1998 to August 2005. His record also shows that he escaped from custody in Hillsborough County, Fla. in 1997.

To see Wong's complete arrest record, click here.

Court Documents Reveal Details

Court documents released Thursday left the reason why Blanton stopped Wong still unclear.

The documents said that Wong was driving a green and silver1996 GMC pick-up with which he was towing a Nissan Ultima on a U-Haul trailer. The Nissan was an unregistered vehicle.

When the truck was searched, investigators said that they found a piece of nylon luggage behind the seat that contained drugs prescribed to Wong including, oxycodone, Keflex, Cialis and Naproxen. They said some of the pills were in bottles, others were loose in the bag.

Investigators said they also found marijuana and a white unknown substance that was about the size of a golf ball.

Four vials of blood were drawn from Wong to be tested to see if he was impaired at the time of the shooting.

Troopers Mourn Fallen Colleague

Fellow troopers are mourning the loss of Blanton, who joined the North Carolina Highway Patrol two years ago, had nothing but praise for him.

Dickey said, "Just an all around great kid, two years on, he was changing the world -- just a great kid."

Alexander said, "It's a bad day for Haywood County and the state of North Carolina. He was a young officer who did a good job and everybody's prayers and thoughts need to be with his family."

Blanton was just two and a half hours away from being done with his shift when he was shot. He's the 59th North Carolina trooper to die in the line of duty since the start of the patrol in 1929.

Trooper's Family Talks About Loved One

Blanton was the first enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to become a North Carolina trooper.

His father, David Blanton, Sr., spoke with WYFF News 4's Sean Muserallo about his son, who he said went by his middle name, Shawn.

David Blanton said his son and his wife were dealing with their son's premature birth.

"It wasn't what they expected, but they were handling it as a husband and wife," a family member said.

He said Michela was at Mission Hospital Tuesday night when her husband was brought into the emergency room. One of the troopers went up to ICU where she was with their baby.

Blanton said his daughter-in-law was originally told that her husband's injuries weren't serious, but by the time she reached the emergency room, he was in critical condition.

Blanton said because doctors were working to save the trooper, his wife was not let into the emergency room to him before he died and she did not have the chance to say goodbye to him.

Blanton said his son was a talented athlete. He played football and wrestled at Smoky Mountain High School in Sylva, N.C.

His dad said he gave back to the school by volunteering as the JV softball coach. Blanton said the high school did not have a team for years until his son volunteered to coach the girls.

Blanton's younger brother, Jesse, said his brother loved his job. He said graduation day from the academy was a big day.

"(He wanted) to be out there and serve his community," Jesse Blanton said.

Shawn Blanton was the first enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to became a North Carolina trooper.

"He loved being a trooper, loved going to work," his aunt, Barbara Jones, said.