A Wake County deputy was shot and killed Thursday night and the sheriff says he encountered someone, but it was not during a traffic stop. Deputy Ned Byrd, 48, a 13-year veteran of the department, was found dead along a stretch of road with open fields on either side.
Byrd didn't radio for help after he was shot, according to Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker. Deputies came to the scene only after Byrd didn't respond for enough time that they decided to check on his welfare, reports WRAL. He is believed to have died after 11 p.m.
Baker says the deputy must not have considered whoever he encountered as a threat because he left his canine partner, Sasa, inside his patrol vehicle and he did not call for backup officers.
During a Friday press conference, Baker confirmed the deputy had been shot multiple times and said that investigators are reviewing dashcam video from Byrd’s patrol unit.
The sheriff explained that Byrd had responded to several calls earlier and may have stopped to catch up on paperwork.
“There is reason to believe that following one of the calls he responded to, that he was somewhere in this area typing in his notes on computer. That’s common for our patrol officers once they clear a call, they put their notes in right then and there if they have the time,” explained Baker in a Friday press conference.
The sheriff also said he believes Byrd was not on a traffic stop when he was killed, explaining that there are procedures for traffic stops and none such were indicated.
Baker said Byrd was a “very dedicated and committed deputy sheriff” that loved serving the community.
