
HONORING NC OFFICERS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY
In memory of all of the Law Enforcement Officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect and serve the citizens of North Carolina. We are forever indebted to you and thank you for your service. Here we honor and remember those who lost their lives protecting ours since our founding. Lest we forget.

Officer Michael Horan
Greensboro Police Department
EOW December 23, 2024
Police Officer Michael Horan was shot and killed while responding to a call of a man with a firearm at the Food Lion at 4709 Lawndale Drive in Greensboro around 11:00 a.m.
The suspect was apprehended and is in custody.
Officer Horan was a United States Coast Guard veteran and had served with the Greensboro Police Department for seven years. He was survived by his wife and children.

K9 Draco
Mount Airy Police Department
EOW October 16, 2024
K9 Draco was shot and killed while apprehending a murder suspect on Paisley Drive in Mount Airy.
Law enforcement engaged in a vehicle pursuit with a man wanted in connection with a double homicide. Around 1:30 p.m., the suspect's vehicle crashed, and he fled on foot. By 3:30 p.m., K9 Draco and his handler tracked the armed suspect to Paisley Drive, where the suspect shot and killed K9 Draco.
The suspect was shot and killed by responding officers.

Deputy US Marshal Thomas M. Weeks
United States Marshals Service
EOW April 29, 2024
At 1:30 p.m., members of the U.S. Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force attempted to serve a felony warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The wanted subject ambushed them with a high-powered rifle and engaged them in a prolonged gun battle.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Weeks, Investigator Poloche, and Investigator Elliott were killed at the scene. Officer Joshua Eyer succumbed to his wounds several hours later. Three officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and a second Deputy United States Marshal were also wounded.
The wanted subject was shot and killed, and two subjects were taken into custody for questioning.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Weeks had served with the United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service for 13 years and previously served with the United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection for eight years. He is survived by his wife and four children.

Investigator William Alden Elliott
North Carolina Department of Adult Correction
EOW April 29, 2024
At 1:30 p.m., members of the U.S. Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force attempted to serve a felony warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The wanted subject ambushed them with a high-powered rifle and engaged them in a prolonged gun battle.
Investigator Poloche, Investigator Elliott, and Deputy United States Marshal Thomas Weeks were killed at the scene. Officer Joshua Eyer succumbed to his wounds several hours later. Three officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and a second Deputy United States Marshal were also wounded.
The wanted subject was shot and killed, and two subjects were taken into custody for questioning.
Investigator Elliott was a United States Marine Corps veteran. He had served with the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction for 14 years, was assigned to the Special Operations and Intelligence Unit and the U.S. Marshal's Regional Fugitive Task Force, and previously served with the Overland Park Police Department (Kansas). He is survived by his wife and son.

Investigator Samuel Poloche
North Carolina Department of Adult Correction
EOW April 29, 2024
At 1:30 p.m., members of the U.S. Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force attempted to serve a felony warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The wanted subject ambushed them with a high-powered rifle and engaged them in a prolonged gun battle.
Investigator Poloche, Investigator Elliott, and Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks were killed at the scene. Officer Joshua Eyer succumbed to his wounds several hours later. Three officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and a second Deputy United States Marshal were also wounded.
The wanted subject was shot and killed, and two subjects were taken into custody for questioning.
Investigator Poloche had served with the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction for 14 years and was assigned to the Special Operations and Intelligence Unit. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Sergeant Philip Dale Nix
Greensboro Police Department
EOW December 30, 2023
Sergeant Philip Nix was off duty when he attempted to intervene in a crime that he witnessed while at a Sheetz gas station. One of the suspects involved in the crime shot Sergeant Nix before all three suspects fled by vehicle.
An off-duty Officer and an off-duty Paramedic who were also at the gas station during the incident immediately rendered aid to Sergeant Nix, but despite their best efforts he ultimately succumbed to his wounds.
Three men were arrested the following day in Winston-Salem. The man who shot Sergeant Nix was charged with first-degree murder, larceny, and conspiracy to commit larceny. The other two subjects were charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder and other charges.
Sergeant Nix had served with the Greensboro Police Department for 23 years and was assigned to the Family Victims Unit. He is survived by his wife, children, and parents.

Officer Joshua Eyer
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
EOW April 29, 2024
At 1:30 p.m., members of the U.S. Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force attempted to serve a felony warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The suspect, however, ambushed them with a high-powered rifle, leading to a prolonged firefight.
Investigator Sam Poloche, Investigator Alden Elliott, and Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks were tragically killed at the scene, and Officer Eyer later succumbed to his injuries. Three Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers and another Deputy U.S. Marshal were also injured in the encounter.
The suspect was ultimately shot and killed, and two other individuals were taken into custody for questioning.
Investigator Eyer, a North Carolina Army National Guard veteran, had served with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for six years and was named Officer of the Month in April 2024. He leaves behind his wife and three-year-old son.

Deputy Auston Smith Reudelhuber
Forsyth County Sheriff's Department
EOW September 9, 2023
Deputy Sheriff Auston Reudelhuber was killed in a vehicle crash on North Carolina 150 at 5:15 a.m.
A box truck driving south on NC 150 crossed the center line and struck Deputy Reudelhuber's patrol car traveling northbound. Both vehicles came to a stop on the southbound shoulder.
Deputy Reudelhuber was transported to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The driver was not injured. He has been charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, reckless driving, and driving left of center.
Deputy Reudelhuber was a United States Army veteran and had served with the Forsyth Sheriff's Office for over two years and previously served with the Davidson County Sheriff's Office for three years. He is survived by his wife and two children.

K9 Santos
Wake County Sheriff's Department
EOW May 26, 2023
At approximately 12:30 am K9 Santos and his partner responded to a call to assist Knightdale Police with a suspect search. During the search, K9 Santos was accidentally shot and killed by a Knightdale Police Officer. K9 Santos was the longest-serving K9 in the Wake County Sheriff's Department, having served since 2016.

Deputy Oscar Yovani Bolanos-Anavisca Jr
Cumberland County Sheriff's Department
EOW December 16, 2022
Deputy Sheriff Oscar Bolanos-Anavisca was struck and killed by a vehicle while investigating a robbery at 2:45 am at 2990 Gillespie Street in Fayetteville.
Deputies had completed a canine track, and Deputy Bolanos-Anavisca was walking along the roadway when a passing vehicle struck him. The driver fled the scene and was located a mile and a half from the scene. The subject was found to be intoxicated and taken into custody.
Deputy Bolanos-Anavisca was transported by ambulance to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Deputy Bolanos-Anavisca had served with the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office for two years. He is survived by his mother, father, siblings, and fiancé.

Deputy Jose Angel DeLeon
Warren County Sheriff's Department
EOW December 4, 2022
Deputy Sheriff José DeLeon was killed in a vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 401, approximately one mile south of Warrenton, while responding to a domestic violence call involving a firearm at about 6:00 pm.
His patrol car left the roadway, struck a tree, and caught fire. Other deputies responding to the same call came across the crash and attempted to pull him from the wreckage. He succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Deputy DeLeon had served with the Warren County Sheriff's Office for two years. He is survived by his son.

Officer Gabriel Torres
Raleigh Police Department
EOW October 13, 2022
29-year-old Raleigh police officer Torres was among the five people killed in a mass shooting Thursday in northeast Raleigh.
Officer Gabriel Jesús Torres was off-duty at the time of the shooting, but was on his way to work when he was shot and killed the Hedingham neighborhood, Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson reported. Patterson said Torres had been with the department for 18 months.
Before that, Torres served as a Marine at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville. He was a Marine from November 2016 to February 2021, reaching the rank of sergeant.
Torres leaves behind his wife and two-year old daughter.

Deputy Ned Byrd
Wake County Sheriff's Department
EOW August 11, 2022
Deputy Sheriff Ned Byrd was shot and killed while on patrol shortly after 11:00 pm on August 11, 2022.
Deputy Byrd was shot multiple times after he exited his vehicle at the intersection of Battle Bridge Road and Auburn-Knightdale Road while investigating suspicious activity. He was in the area after the agency had received several calls regarding the activity, however, he had not marked out on an event when he was shot. Another deputy located him approximately two hours later. Deputy Byrd's canine partner was still inside their patrol vehicle.
Deputy Byrd was a U.S. Air Force veteran and had served with the Wake County Sheriff's Office for 13 years.

Sergeant Matthew Fishman
Wayne County Sheriff's Department
EOW August 2, 2022
Sergeant Matthew Fishman was shot and killed while serving involuntary commitment papers on the 2500 block of Arrington Bridge Road in Dudley.
The subject fired at Sergeant Fishman and two other deputies as they arrived at the home at about 10:30 am. The man barricaded himself inside the house until a SWAT team entered at 8:00 pm and found him dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Sergeant Fishman was transported to ECU Medical Center where he succumbed to his wounds the next day. The two other deputies were transported to ECU Medical Center and Wayne UNC Hospital in stable condition.
Sergeant Fishman had served with the Wayne County Sheriff's Office for 12 years and had previously served with the Mount Olive Police Department. He is survived by his wife, two children, and father.

K9 Major
Franklin County Sheriff's Department
EOW April 10, 2022
K9 Major was shot and killed while attempting the apprehension of an armed robbery suspect in Granville County, North Carolina.
A subject involved in the armed carjacking of a vehicle the previous afternoon was located hiding in the crawl space of a home on Richard Lane in Oxford. Members of the Granville County Sheriff's Office established a perimeter around the home and requested assistance from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office's Special Response Team.
K9 Major was released into the crawl space to apprehend the subject. The man fired two shots at K9 Major with an AK-47 rifle, killing him, before exiting the crawl space and surrendering.
K9 Major had served with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office for three years.

Trooper John Horton
North Carolina State Highway Patrol
EOW January 3, 2022
Trooper John Horton was struck and killed by a patrol car while conducting a traffic stop near the intersection of High Shoals Church Road and Goodes Grove Church Road in Mooresboro at about 9:00 pm.
Trooper Horton had detained the driver of a motorcycle and was standing on the shoulder of the roadway with the subject. Another trooper arriving on the scene to back him up lost control of his patrol car and collided with Trooper Horton's patrol car, which was then pushed into Trooper Horton and the detained subject. The detained subject died at the scene, and Trooper Horton died after being transported to a hospital in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The area the crash occurred in had experienced snow and sleet throughout the day.
Trooper Horton had served with the North Carolina Highway Patrol for 15 years. He is survived by his wife, six children, parents, sister, and two brothers.

Officer Mia Goodwin
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
EOW December 22, 2021
Police Officer Mia Goodwin was killed when a tractor-trailer struck her patrol car on southbound I-85 near W.T. Harris Boulevard.
She was blocking traffic on the interstate at the scene of a previous crash when the tractor-trailer struck her patrol car at about 3:30 am.
Officer Goodwin had served with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for over six years and was assigned to the University City Division. She is survived by her husband and three children ages 3, 1, and 4 months.

Officer Ryan Hayworth
Knightdale Police Department
EOW October 17, 2021
Police Officer Ryan Hayworth was killed when his patrol car was struck from behind by a suspected drunk driver at about 2:40 am.
Officer Hayworth, along with his training officer, were at the scene of a single-vehicle crash on I-540, near mile marker 22, when their patrol car was struck by the other vehicle, which failed to move over or reduce its speed. Officer Hayworth suffered fatal injuries in the collision. His training officer, as well as the original accident victim and the suspected drunk driver, were seriously injured.
Officer Hayworth was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Knightdale Police Department for only three months. He is survived by his father, mother, brother, and two step-brothers. His father was a retired Police Chief of the Zebulon Police Department.

Deputy Logan Fox
Watauga County Sheriff's Department
EOW April 28, 2021
Deputy Sheriff Logan Fox and Sergeant Chris Ward were shot and killed while conducting a welfare check at a home on Hardaman Circle.
A coworker of the homeowner had requested a welfare check after the man did not report for work and was not answering his phone. Responding officers discovered all the vehicles belonging to the owner in the driveway. As Sergeant Ward and Deputy Fox entered the home to check on the occupants someone inside opened fire, striking both deputies.
Backup officers were able to extract Sergeant Ward from the home but were unable to reach Deputy Fox. Sergeant Ward was flown to a hospital in Johnson City, Tennessee, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The subject barricaded himself inside of the house and continued to shoot at law enforcement officers who were on the perimeter throughout the day. He committed suicide several hours into the barricade. Deputy Fox was retrieved from the residence and pronounced dead.
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Sergeant Chris Ward
Watauga County Sheriff's Department
EOW April 28, 2021
Deputy Sheriff Logan Fox and Sergeant Chris Ward were shot and killed while conducting a welfare check at a home on Hardaman Circle.
A coworker of the homeowner had requested a welfare check after the man did not report for work and was not answering his phone. Responding officers discovered all the vehicles belonging to the owner in the driveway. As Sergeant Ward and Deputy Fox entered the home to check on the occupants someone inside opened fire, striking both deputies.
Backup officers were able to extract Sergeant Ward from the home but were unable to reach Deputy Fox. Sergeant Ward was flown to a hospital in Johnson City, Tennessee, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The subject barricaded himself inside of the house and continued to shoot at law enforcement officers who were on the perimeter throughout the day. He committed suicide several hours into the barricade. Deputy Fox was retrieved from the residence and pronounced dead.

Officer Jason Shuping
Concord Police Department
EOW December 16, 2020
Police Officer Jason Shuping was shot and killed while responding to an attempted carjacking at a fast-food restaurant at 7761 Gateway Lane NW.
A North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement agent had encountered an abandoned vehicle at the scene of a single-car crash on the I-85 exit ramp to Bruton Smith Boulevard. As the agent and a Concord police officer were at the scene of the crash a woman approached and told them a man had just attempted to carjack her at a nearby Sonic restaurant. The ALE agent, along with Officer Shuping and another officer responded to the restaurant where they encountered the suspect.
As they approached the man outside of the building, he produced a gun and opened fire, fatally wounding Officer Shuping and wounding the other Concord officer. Two additional responding officers engaged the suspect as he attempted to steal another car and the man was killed in a second exchanged of gunfire.
Officer Shuping had served with the Concord Police Department for 18 months.

Officer Tyler Herndon
Mount Holly Police Department
EOW December 11, 2020
Police Officer Tyler Herndon was shot and killed while he and other officers responded to a burglary in progress at a car wash at 313 Beatty Drive at about 3:30 am.
The subject was shot and wounded by other officers on the scene. He was charged with first-degree murder.
The incident occurred two days before Officer Herndon's birthday.

Deputy Jared Allison
Nash County Sheriff's Department
EOW December 1, 2020
Deputy Sheriff Jared Allison succumbed to injuries sustained on Thanksgiving Day while attempting to stop a motorcycle on U.S. 301 Bypass in Rocky Mount.
He had just completed a traffic stop and was attempting to catch a motorcycle when another car attempted a left turn in front of him at the intersection with May Drive. Deputy Allison's patrol SUV struck the vehicle and overturned. He was ejected from the vehicle and sustained critical injuries. He was transported to Vidant Medical Center where he remained until succumbing to his injuries on December 1st, 2020.
Deputy Allison was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Nash County Sheriff's Office for 2-1/2 years. He is survived by his wife, son, and parents.

Deputy Ryan Hendrix
Henderson County Sheriff's Department
EOW September 10, 2020
Deputy Sheriff Ryan Hendrix was shot and killed when he responded to a vehicle tampering and shooting call in the area of Bethea Drive and Piney Ridge Drive in Mountain Home.
A citizen called 911 at about 3:00 am after discovering someone breaking into a vehicle. The citizen retrieved a firearm and confronted the subject. The subject had stolen a firearm from the vehicle and the two exchanged gunshots.
Deputy Hendrix and other deputies arrived on the scene and confronted the subject, who was wanted on a warrant for a parole violation. The man initially complied with commands but then grabbed the handgun and opened fire, striking Deputy Hendrix. The other deputies returned fire and killed the subject.
Deputy Hendrix was transported to a local hospital where it was determined he could not survive. He was declared medically deceased so that his organs could be donated.
Deputy Hendrix was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He had served with the Henderson County Sheriff's Office for eight years, years, most recently as a Patrol Shift Detective and as a member of the SWAT Team. He is survived by his two children and fiancée.