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Trooper’s son dies
Tye Blanton, infant son of slain N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper Shawn Blanton, died Friday (Oct. 17) at Mission Hospitals in Asheville. Born seven weeks premature in May, the baby was hospitalized throughout his life. Shawn Blanton, above with his son, was a 2002 graduate of Smoky Mountain High School and the first member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to become a state trooper. He was killed in June during a traffic stop in Haywood County. Tye Blanton’s funeral was Monday (Oct. 20) in Cherokee. Both Shawn and Tye Blanton are buried in Qualla’s Thomas Cemetery. |
