Detective Rickie Allen Pearson, Jr.

Rickie Allen Pearson, Jr.

Detective Allen Pearson was shot and killed as he and other members of the agency's Special Response Unit attempted to apprehend a suspect who had murdered a woman the previous day in a rural area of Craven County.

Deputies had responded to the scene after receiving reports of a man shooting a gun on a wooded path. When they arrived, they found the vehicle of the murder victim parked nearby. The suspect was located in the woods, where he was firing his rifle. The suspect refused to surrender and fired at the deputies.

The Lenoir County Sheriff's Department SRU was dispatched to the scene and located the suspect with the help of a North Carolina Highway Patrol helicopter. As the officers approached to take him into custody, the suspect opened fire with his rifle, which led to a gun battle in which Detective Pearson was fatally wounded and a second detective suffered a gunshot wound to his neck.

The suspect was shot several times by deputies and died from his wounds.

Deputy Pearson had served with the Lenoir County Sheriff's Department for eight years. He is survived by his wife.