Wife of Franklin County man shot, killed by deputies calls for resources for patients with chronic pain
Angela Tripp said she hopes to bring awareness and find ways to help people dealing with chronic pain after Franklin County deputies shot her husband to death.
“He didn’t have any medicine that would relieve the [pain] at all, or even take the edge off,” Angela Tripp said.
Franklin County deputies shot Angela Tripp’s husband, Sam Tripp, on Dec. 21, 2023. Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White said two deputies were involved.
The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting.
“It wasn’t the deputies’ fault in this case,” Angela Tripp said. “They were doing protocol.”
Angela Tripp said her husband struggled for years with very limited options. Because Sam Tripp used alcohol to self-medicate, she said doctors would not prescribe certain medications. The couple believed surgery or a spinal cord stimulator trial would help his condition. However, he was told he would not qualify.
“They just labeled him and abandoned him,” Angela Tripp said of her late husband.
She said the pain had taken away his ability to do things he loved outdoors, like kayaking. The pain led to a drastic decline in his mental health over the past few years.
“Something in him wanted it to happen like it happened, but then, a big part of him didn’t,” Angela Tripp said.
Angela Tripp said her late husband wrote entries in his journal, detailing his struggles.
“He just, was so depressed,” Angela Tripp said.
Now, she wants more medical professionals to take chronic pain seriously from the beginning and offer proper medication to help.
“[Doctors] are afraid of losing their license, if they prescribe anything,” she said. “Everybody that comes into the ER with pain, ‘Oh, they’re just drug-seeking.’”
Angela Tripp said some doctors’ visits were extremely discouraging.
“This is why people give up and go to other things to manage their pain,” she said.
While she said she does not blame the deputies for doing their jobs. She said she wonders how their interaction could have ended in a different way, like possibly sending a social worker.
Angela Tripp said her husband also called for help the night before he died.
“When they got here and talked to him, they talked him down,” she recalled.
Angela Tripp said he was sent to the emergency room that night, was given pain medication at the hospital and was then sent home without medication. His pain persisted the following day, prompting him to call for help a second time.
“He wanted pain relief,” she said. “Part of him didn’t want to give up and didn’t want to leave me, but part of him did.”
Angela Tripp did not see exactly what happened to prompt deputies to shoot her husband.
“That part of him must have pointed that paintball gun at the deputy and the deputy shot him,” she said.
In December 2023, Angela Tripp told WRAL News they did not own guns with bullets. However, she said they can appear realistic.
Angela Tripp said she found comfort in knowing that Sam is no longer in pain. Ultimately, she says she doesn’t have all the answers, but she hopes to find ways to help others deal with the same struggles.
Mental health resources
If you're having suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis, call or text 988 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. Veterans can press “1” after dialing 988 to connect directly to the Veterans Crisis Lifeline. For texts, veterans should continue to text the Veterans Crisis Lifeline short code: 838255.
