IFN Staff

The Statesville Police Department is investigating a murder-suicide that occurred on Saturday afternoon.

Officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of Fifth Street about 1:30 p.m. Saturday in response to a report of a gunshot victim in the area, according to a Statesville Police Department news release.

Arriving officers located Surtonia Burton, 51, of Statesville lying in front of a residence, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She was transported by Iredell County EMS to a local medical facility, where she died from her injuries, police said.

Members of the SPD Investigations Division and Violent Crimes Unit responded to the scene to process evidence and conduct an investigation. Through investigative efforts, Titeon Breshaun Burton, 26, of Fifth Street, was identified as the primary suspect in the shooting, according to the news release.

At approximately 4:45 p.m., SPD officers located Titeon Burton at a business on Oakland Avenue. As officers attempted to detain him, he refused to comply and fled on foot, according to the news release. Officers pursued Burton to the rear of a residence on Broom Street, where he sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound as officers approached, police said.

The suspect was pronounced dead while Iredell County EMS personnel while enroute to the hospital, according to the news release.

This remains an active investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Statesville Police Department at (704) 878-3406. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through the “See Something, Say Something” portal at https://police.statesvillenc.net/see-something-say-something-contact-us/.