Wrong-way driver may have been impaired in crash that killed trooper on Durham Freeway

A North Carolina state trooper was killed Sunday in a wrong-way crash on the Durham Freeway.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol said Master Trooper Steven J. Perry, 30, was on duty when his Dodge Charger was hit head-on by a wrong-way driver

The driver, identified as Melshawn Moore, 39, of Kinston, was driving southbound in the northbound lanes of N.C. Highway 147 near Swift Avenue before the crash, officials said.

Perry and Moore both died in the crash.

According to the State Highway Patrol, impairment may have caused Moore to hit the trooper's car.

According to court documents, Moore was previously convicted in three separate DWI cases: One in Onslow County and two in Lenoir County.

"Trooper Perry was a member of the 148th Basic Patrol School and has served Durham County throughout his nearly 7-year career," the SHP posted on Facebook. "During this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow troopers who had the privilege of serving alongside him. We ask that you keep the entirety of his family and our Patrol Family in your thoughts."

Eli Perry, Steven's brother, described his brother as a man who not only demanded the best out of everybody, but the best out of himself as well.

"He wanted to make sure he was providing for his family at all costs," Eli said.

Gov. Josh Stein wrote, "Master Trooper Steven Perry dedicated his career to keeping people in Durham County safe. Please join me in keeping his loved ones and the law enforcement community in our thoughts and prayers. May his memory be a blessing."

North Carolina Central University said on social media that Perry was a former football player with the school.

"He was such a leader on the football field, because when he played football at Central, it was almost natural for him to just switch over to the state trooper role," Eli said.

An investigation is ongoing.

Just a week earlier, the State Highway Patrol lost another trooper in a crash. Master Trooper Stien Davis, Jr., from Robeson County, died shortly after midnight when he lost control, went off the roadway and overturned in a swampy roadside area on N.C. Highway 130.