From WRAL News
Raleigh, N.C. — The search for the suspect who killed a Wake County deputy responding to a call Thursday continued Friday night and Saturday morning.
Deputy Ned Byrd, 48, was found dead around 1 a.m. in an area of Battle Bridge Road with open fields on either side. He was shot multiple times and officials believe he was killed about two hours before he was found.
It was all hands on deck on that stretch of road in southeast Wake County for nearly 24 hours. Authorities are still actively searching for the man who fired the shots that killed Byrd.
WRAL News cameras captured deputies escorting the deputy’s body from the scene.
According to Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker, a series of calls Thursday night brought Byrd and his K-9 partner to the scene.
“We believe he may have come into contact with someone and got out of his car to check on them and check on the suspicious activity,” Baker said.
Byrd’s K-9, named Sasha, was still inside the vehicle, which Baker said indicates Byrd may not have considered everything he initially encountered to be much of a threat because he didn’t need his partner. Baker says Byrd didn’t call for backup either.
“So again, that lets us know that he didn’t feel the need for support,” he said.
Byrd did not radio to let anyone know he was getting out of his vehicle to investigate, according to investigators. He also didn’t call for help after he was shot. Deputies arrived on the scene only after Bird was unresponsive long enough for them to decide to check on his welfare.
Baker said he believes Byrd may have been caught off guard by whoever shot him.
The massive search for the shooter continued Saturday morning, with dozens of law enforcement officers seen deployed along Battle Bridge Road near Auburn Knightdale Road and River Ridge Golf Club.
Baker says they’re following leads – looking for a man who may be driving a white pickup truck.
Investigators are scouring the field using ATVs and a helicopter – looking for clues that could help them piece together the final moments of Byrd’s life.
He was not wearing a body camera, but there is dash cam footage from the car, as well as a surveillance camera at a nearby gas station, that authorities are using to help with the investigation.
“We will find who is responsible for this loss, even in the midst of the hurt and the pain,” Baker said.
Deputy Ned Byrd: Loved to serve and protect
According to friends of Bird, his dream is to become an MP.
Byrd was a 13-year veteran of the Wake County Sheriff’s Office. He served as a member of the K-9 unit for about 5 years. Before that, he was a long-time employee of the Wake County Detention Center.
Baker described Byrd as “very committed and dedicated.”
“He loves to serve and protect his county,” Baker said. He was always in a good mood and mood.
Friends remember him as someone who loved fitness, including mountain biking, weightlifting and martial arts. Trains regularly at Cary Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Jason Culbreth, the owner of the gym, was one of Byrd’s best friends.
“He came and, of course, we liked him right away,” Culbreth said.
Although Byrd had no relatives in the area, Culbreth says they were like brothers.
“He was family to me and my wife. He came for holidays, birthdays. He was a part of every celebration we had,” Culbreth said.
Culbreth describes him as caring and eager to serve others.
“He was known for just getting too wrapped up in what he was doing or committing to helping everyone. If somebody was moving or needed something, needed something built, needed furniture moved, he was always the first person to volunteer and be there,” Culbreth recalled. “You would never find a better person to serve others.”
This servant’s heart is what draws him to law enforcement—first as a detention officer, and then, after years of hard work, achieving his dream of becoming a lawmaker.
“He took his job very seriously. He was a good cop. One of those guys that was there for the community,” Culbreth said.
Culbreth was amazed to learn from friends that Byrd was the one killed.
“He was the pinnacle in terms of fitness as he could take care of himself. He was very active,” he said. “More than capable of taking care of itself. So whatever happened, it was someone that just came out of nowhere.”
He finds some comfort in knowing that Deputy Byrd died doing what he loved.
“He’s what people wish more people in society were,” he said. “It’s a shame to lose such a person.”
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