WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — On Wednesday, Sharmaine Burke was shot in front of her 8-year-old grandson while on the phone with 911 operators. Nearly a week later, her brother is sharing who she was and what is next for their family.
Sharmaine’s brother, Benjamin Marsh, says his sister was somebody who always spoke her mind, adding that what happened Wednesday is evidence that she never backed down. She told operators that her son-in-law broke into her home intoxicated and threatening to shoot her all her 8-year-old grandson in the room. Operators report hearing three gunshots and then nothing.
The grandson was allegedly taken by his father before police stopped his car and negotiated with him to let the boy go. Since his mother died in 2024 and his father is in Sedgwick County Jail, Sharmaine’s grandson is living with his grandfather.
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Marsh says she was somebody who stuck up for her loved ones, exemplified by her decision to defend her grandson before allegedly being killed by the boy’s father.
“She was sticking up for somebody that couldn’t speak and take care of their self, and that’s what makes it hard. Knowing that she was protecting somebody that couldn’t do that. So, I think everybody should learn from,” Marsh said…