North Carolina Trooper Samuel Newton Bullard was killed in a pursuit crash Monday night. (Photo: NCHP/Twitter)
A North Carolina trooper was killed in a crash on Interstate 77 southbound in Yadkin County Monday night.
The deceased trooper has been identified as Samuel Newton Bullard, of Wilkes County. He was a three-year veteran assigned to Surry County.
The crash happened around 11:30 p.m. Monday after a pursuit. A North Carolina Highway Patrol spokesperson told Fox 8 the chase started with a license check.
During the chase, Trooper P.E. Ellis noticed he did not see Trooper Bullard's patrol car behind him. When his attempt at contacting Bullard failed, Ellis turned around and found the patrol car engulfed in flames.
On Tuesday, police were looking for the two occupants of the car that fled the checkpoint. They were identified as 22-year-old Dakota Kape Whitt and 19-year-old Michaela Cheyenne Harrison. A $1,500 reward is being offered for information leading to the suspects' capture, according to the North Carolina Troopers Association Facebook page.
