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'I miss her terribly': IMPD, mom remember fallen hero Breann Leath one year after death

Johnny Magdaleno
Indianapolis Star

Last year, IMPD suffered a major loss. Officer Breann Leath, an Indianapolis woman who loved sunflowers and brought McDonald's to the traumatized sons and daughters she came across during domestic incident calls, was killed on duty April 9, 2020.

Leath worked in Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's East District. Her colleagues there say her genuine care for the people she interacted with while in uniform made her the kind of officer law enforcers in the 21st century should be. 

"You look at what the biggest critics of police are saying in what they want in a police officer, and Breann represented that," IMPD East District Commander Richard Riddle said. 

Leath was killed while responding with three other officers to a domestic violence call in the 1800 block of Edinburgh Square. Police said someone fired shots through the door that fatally struck Leath and hit another woman at the apartment. Leath was 24 when she died.

IMPD Commander Rick Riddle and Officer Desiree Biggers talks with IndyStar on Thursday, April 8, 2021 about Breann Leath, a 24-year-old officer who died in the line of duty a year ago in Indianapolis. Officer Biggers painted her nails yellow to honor Leath because she loved sun flowers, "Yellow like the sun," said Biggers.

The Marion County Prosecutor's Office announced in January it is seeking the death penalty against Elliahs Dorsey in the shooting. Dorsey is facing charges of murder, criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon, battery and four counts of attempted murder.

A year after her death, Riddle and Leath's partner, Officer Desiree Biggers, remembered how she effortlessly won over the people who called for police help. While she was a cadet Riddle watched her juggle the struggles of being a single mom with the demands of police training. That lived experience made her empathetic to the families and single mothers she came across on duty in a way that colleagues with decades of experience in the force hadn't been able to master.

One year later:How Indy is honoring the life of fallen officer Breann Leath

"As we talk about community expectations, and we talk about police reform, that's one of the biggest tenets is being able to connect with community and talk with people and be able to defuse situations properly. And she was able to do that," Riddle said.

The trauma of her loss lingers in the department. As Biggers and Riddle walked IndyStar through the IMPD East District building on Shadeland Avenue, Biggers pointed out a bathroom near the main entrance where she and Leath would fight playfully over who got the big stall. "That's why I don't use those anymore," Biggers said. 

IMPD Commander Rick Riddle and Officer Desiree Biggers pose for a photo Thursday, April 8, 2021 on a chalk-drawn memorial reading unit number B231 for Breann Leath, a 24-year-old officer who died in the line of duty a year ago in Indianapolis.

One of the three other officers who responded to the call the night Leath was killed was fresh out of training. He had been responding to calls by himself for just three days. He and his family, along with other officers who were shaken by Leath's death, started going to counseling after the incident. 

The more than 30 officers who made up the East District's middle shift that day tried to go to the scene when they heard that an officer was down. 

"There's a number of officers that you could talk to to this day that can tell you what they did and what happened, but they're not over it," Riddle said. "They're emotionally scarred for life." 

In an interview Thursday, Biggers described Leath as her "work wife." She remembers getting out of the patrol car while responding to a call and hitting her face against the door. Leath, who pulled up to the address alongside Biggers, saw the slapstick incident.

Funeral for fallen Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Officer Breann Leath at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, April 16, 2020.

"We're not going to talk about that," Biggers said to Leath. 

"Oh, we're gonna discuss it as soon as the run is over," Leath replied. 

They once took a domestic incident call together and found three children in the residence who looked malnourished. Leath pulled a pen and notepad out of her breast pocket and asked what they wanted from McDonald's. She bought them a McFlurry, chicken nuggets, and a Happy Meal. She denied Biggers' offer to help pay for half of the order. 

Jennifer Leath, Breann's mom, was busy this week. Lots of media requests packed onto the preparation for her daughter's memorial service Friday. April 9 also marks the first year her family has lived with the grief of Breann's absence.

More:List of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers killed in the line of duty

"Everything is different," Leath said. "And nothing is the same." 

Of the myriad things that remind Leath of her daughter, the sunflower stands tallest. It was her favorite flower. She bought sunflower-themed decorations to dress up her room in her Fishers apartment before she passed away. 

IMPD Officer Desiree Biggers touches the sunflowers set out for Breann Leath, a 24-year-old officer who died in the line of duty on April 9, 2020 in Indianapolis. Officer Biggers painted her nails yellow to honor Leath because she loved sunflowers, "Yellow like the sun," said Biggers.

Leath said it's like when you buy a car. Right when you buy one, you start noticing all the other drivers on the road with your same make and model. She never saw sunflowers in the past. Now she notices them everywhere. 

She's not sure why it was her daughter's favorite flower, but she has a theory. "They're pretty and big and she's both those things," she said. 

The Leaths have a room in their house dedicated to Breann and her service, but her influence as a public safety officer extends far beyond those walls. There's a mural with her photo and unit number — B231 — that takes up an entire wall inside IMPD's East District building. On Friday, the Department of Corrections is rededicating a maternal-child health unit to her.

In October, IMPD and federal agencies created a domestic violence reduction initiative called the Law Enforcement Action to Halt Domestic Violence Against Men, Women and Children — LEATH for short.

She's also still carried by those patrolling the East District, who view her as a role model and, for Biggers, the kind of cop a cop wants to be.  

"If you even get to meet me, I hope that you still see a little bit of Bree. Because that was my work wife, that's my heart," Biggers said. "And I miss her terribly."

Call IndyStar courts reporter Johnny Magdaleno at 317-273-3188 or email him at jmagdaleno@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @IndyStarJohnny