Note: The article has been updated to reflect updates to previously incorrect information.
Just over 48 hours after a Wake County sheriff’s deputy was killed in the line of duty, a truck and camping trailer were taken from the deputy's home in a "civil dispute."
WTVD reports the Wake County Sheriff's Office says Deputy Ned Byrd's 2019 Toyota Tacoma and 2020 Flyer camping trailer "were both taken sometime Saturday night into Sunday morning (Aug 13-14)." Tuesday afternoon, Wake County Chief Legal Advisor Rick Brown clarified with WTVD that the items taken from Deputy Byrd's home "were taken without permission in an ongoing civil dispute" and that they have since been recovered.
On Thursday at about 11:10 p.m., Deputy Byrd was murdered in the line of duty when he was shot several times in a rural area in southeastern Wake County.
The deputy had reportedly responded to a domestic call earlier in the evening, less than a mile away from the scene. Officials say Deputy Byrd had entered his notes from the call into the system, but that there was no radio traffic after that to indicate he was making a traffic stop. However, a sheriff’s office spokesperson says his patrol vehicle was found positioned as if to illuminate something.
When Byrd didn’t respond to several attempts to check in, another deputy was sent to check and found Byrd shot outside his vehicle with his K-9 still inside.
The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association announced Monday that they’re offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for murdering Deputy Byrd.
The Wake County Sheriff’s Office has also released a photo of a pickup truck they believe was driven by the suspect.
The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association says there have been seven members of local law enforcement injured or killed by gunfire in less than three weeks in North Carolina:
The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association, representing all 100 sheriffs in our state, is horrified by the recent acts of violence in which seven members of our profession have been injured or killed by gunfire in less than three weeks,” the association said in a press release. “We grieve with the families of the affected officers, and we offer our condolences to their friends, co-workers, and communities.
Anyone having information concerning the case of Deputy Byrd is asked to contact the Wake County Sheriff’s Office at (919) 306-6931 or (919) 306-7748.