Wake County K9 deputy, Ned Byrd, was killed after being shot in the line of duty on 8/11/22. ”Byrd, 48, of Raleigh, was shot near Battle Bridge and Auburn Knightdale roads in Raleigh just after 11 p.m. Deputy Byrd was outside of his vehicle at the time of the shooting and his K-9 Sasha remained inside the patrol vehicle. It is believed came down Battle Bridge Road when he came to a stop and exited the vehicle to check on some kind of “suspicious activity” at approximately 11:05 p.m. K9 Sasha was still inside the vehicle which tells us that what he got out on didn’t appear to be any sort of threat or require any sort of need for his partner,” Byrd arrived at the location at 11:05 p.m. two hours elapsed before he was found by another deputy at 1:06 a.m. on 8/12 /22, There was no indication over their radio communications that deputy Byrd had been shot numerous times. Byrd was shot three times in the head and once in the chest that penetrated the vest he was wearing. Byrd spent 13 years in service to Wake County, first as a detention officer before becoming a deputy. Deputy Byrd was a United States Air Force Veteran. Law enforcement is looking for the suspect and this is an active investigation. North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association announced the reward of $100,000 on 8/15/22 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for the killing of Wake County Sheriff’s Deputy Ned Byrd.
Arturo Mario Sotelo, 29, and his brother Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo was taken into custody on 8/18/22 and made his first court appearance on 8/19/22 and charged with felony murder. Both face the death penelty. Marin-Sotelo escaped from the jail at about 1 a.m. on 4/30/23 and left in a red or burgundy Ford Mustang. The jail guards didn’t notice the inmate missing until about 26 hours after Marin-Sotelo escaped. Officials believe he manipulated the locking mechanism on the rear exit door and escaped. Alder Marin-Sotelo escaped from Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville, Virginia and captured by Mexican authorities on 5/4/23 in Guerrero, Mexico. After he escaped, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service offered a combined $70,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Marin-Sotelo.
