Man kills Moore County deputy, commits suicide

Deputy Rick Rhyne, 58, responded to a trespassing report at 753 Morrison Bridge Road around noon and found two brothers inside the house.

One of the men, Martin Abel Poynter, 33, had an outstanding warrant for child support. As Rhyne tried to arrest him, Poynter shot the deputy and then killed himself, authorities said.

Poynter's brother witnessed the shooting. He was a bystander and will not be charged, according to Sheriff Lane Carter.

Deputies arrested Poynter at the same house about two or three years ago and took him for a mental evaluation, according to Carter.

Rhyne leaves behind a wife, a son and two grandchildren. He began working with the Moore County Sheriff's Office in 2007 as a part-time resource officer.

Before that, he spent 26 years at Foxfire Village in Moore County, where he served as police chief. He began his law enforcement career in Pinehurst in 1974.

"He was a wonderful man and a great police officer," Carter said. "Whenever you saw Rick, he was always personable. He loved everybody, and he was just a great, great law enforcement officer. He served his community well."