Ties to Highway Patrol leadership raise questions in NC deputy’s killing
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Adam Bean was found shot to death March 27 at a home on Seattle Slew Lane.
- The News & Observer reports that the other officer present was a state trooper.
- Records link the Highway Patrol commander’s sister to the alleged domestic dispute.
Two weeks after Cumberland County Sheriff’s Capt. Adam Bean was found shot to death at a Hope Mills home, officials will only say it involved a domestic dispute between two off-duty law enforcement officers.
For Cumberland County and most others, this is out of the ordinary. Authorities typically release basic homicide details within days.
An investigation by The News & Observer has found that the other officer is a State Highway Patrol trooper, and the woman at the center of the dispute — described as a domestic violence victim — is the sister of the patrol’s commander, Col. Freddy Johnson Jr.
The N&O reached out to the Highway Patrol, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigation, as well Gov. Josh Stein’s office, to whom the Highway Patrol reports.
None has answered questions about the incident, why no one has been charged, and what safeguards will ensure an impartial investigation, given Johnson’s longstanding relationships with law enforcement officials across the state.
Officials have referred a reporter to the SBI, which is handling the investigation.
SBI spokesperson Chad Flowers declined to comment on the active investigation. When the investigation is complete, the SBI will share its findings with the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys to decide on whether to press charges. The Cumberland County district attorney has recused himself.
Here’s what we know.
The 911 call
At 10:52 p.m. March 27, a woman called 911 from the home on Seattle Slew Lane in Hope Mills, about 70 miles south of Raleigh.
“We just had somebody get shot,” she said.
The operator responded: “We’re going to get some help out there. We need this information so the responders can make sure everyone stays safe.”
“Everything is secure,” the woman said. “The gun is secure. It’s right here.”
The operator was persistent, asking for details five times during the phone call that lasted 1 minute and 18 seconds. The caller hung up before the operator could get answers.
The next day, the Cumberland County sheriff announced that Bean, the Sheriff’s Office assistant chief of detectives, was found with a gunshot wound at the home, where he died.
“The preliminary investigation revealed a domestic disturbance occurred between two off-duty law enforcement officers,” Sheriff Johnathan Morgan announced on his Facebook page.
What our investigation found
Court and voting records link the patrol commander’s sister, who is also a Cumberland County deputy, to Bean and the Seattle Slew Lane address of the killing. The N&O is not naming her because Sheriff’s Office Lt. Mickey Locklear described her as a victim of domestic violence.
The N&O left telephone messages and sent emails to the woman’s attorney, but he did not respond.
Court records indicate that the woman lived with Bean before moving to the Seattle Slew Lane address, where Bean, 42, died. On April 10, The N&O requested information from Cumberland County about previous police visits to both homes, but the information hasn’t been provided.
Voting records show Bean lived on Dottie Circle, an address also listed for the woman in both her voting record and court documents from 2024.
The Seattle Slew Lane address where Bean was killed is the same address listed in court documents in a recent custody dispute between the woman and her ex-husband over their two children.
Trooper put on administrative leave
No one has publicly named the other law enforcement officer involved, but three sources who work in law enforcement told The N&O that it is a state trooper. They asked that their names not be published because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Highway Patrol spokesperson Lt. Christopher Knox confirmed that a trooper who lives in Hope Mills was placed on administrative leave the day after Bean’s killing. The N&O isn’t naming the trooper at this time.
Kirk deViere, chairman of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, said in a statement that elected officials trust the SBI to do a “thorough and independent investigation.”
“Our priority right now is supporting Captain Bean’s family, his colleagues, and our community as we continue to honor his life and service,” deViere said.
‘Police policing each other’
Dawn Blagrove, executive director of the civil rights organization Emancipate NC, said it is very unusual for so little information to be released after a homicide.
“We’re going to know and we’re going to know that information quickly,” she said, describing typical homicide investigations.
However, when law enforcement is involved, the flow of information is reduced to a trickle, she said.
“The disparity in the way that information is dispersed naturally feeds the distrust and lack of accountability and lack of transparency that the community believes exists for law enforcement,” Blagrove said.
Blagrove also expressed concern about the SBI handling the investigation, saying law enforcement agencies typically work together to prosecute crimes.
“We’ve seen police policing each other doesn’t go well, it doesn’t go well, and it doesn’t create accountability,” she said.
NC Reality Check is an N&O series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com.
