A year after his death, Wake Deputy Ned Byrd remembered as dedicated, driven
Wake County Deputy Ned Byrd, 48, was shot and killed late in the evening on Aug. 11, 2022.
Posted — UpdatedByrd, 48, was shot late in the evening on Aug. 11, 2022. He was on his way to K-9 training when he pulled over to investigate a truck on the side of Battle Bridge Road in southeastern Wake County.
Byrd pulled up to the truck, leaving his K-9, Sasha, in the car. He was shot four times, including three shots to the back of the head, and died on the road.
On Friday, before law enforcement honored Byrd in a private ceremony, WRAL News spoke with Byrd's direct supervisor, Sgt. Jason Bordeaux.
"I thought it was a dream at first ... more like a nightmare," said Bordeaux, who on that night woke to the unimaginable. "He was a really good guy, and [for] this to happen to him was unfair. He was gonna be there for you no matter what. He would take the shirt off his back and give it to you."
Bordeaux said he had not spoken publicly about Byrd's death since it happened.
Byrd's funeral was held a week after his death. K-9 Sasha walked along Glenwood Avenue with a handler and led a horse caisson carrying Byrd's casket to his funeral at Providence Baptist Church, where hundreds of people stood outside waiting.
Law enforcement officers and citizens, both those who knew Byrd and those who were strangers, gathered along Glenwood Avenue to watch and pay their respects. One family standing for the procession said Byrd once responded to their home on a call.
"We just wanted to honor him," said Will Sutthill. "He was a great guy. Nice guy. Very kind. Very compassionate. And you know he really cared."
Former Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker spoke at Byrd's funeral, saying, "On that night when we got to the scene, we kneeled down beside him, and I promised him that we would find those responsible."
Jason Culbreth, Byrd's jiu-jitsu coach and CrossFit trainer, said at the funeral, "Ned was like our kid," commenting on his physical and emotional strength.
"He had a grit and determination like no one I have ever met," Culbreth said.
Brothers Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo, 25, and Arturo Marin-Sotelo, 29, were charged with Byrd's murder.
In May, the younger brother escaped a jail in Virginia. He was on the run for about four days and was captured in Mexico. Adriana Marin Sotelo, his sister, recently pleaded guilty to helping him break out of the jail.
Weekend events honoring Deputy Ned Byrd
• Credits
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