Details released for visitation and funeral of Wake County deputy Ned Byrd
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Many questions remain nearly a week after Wake County deputy Ned Byrd was shot and killed while on duty.
The Wake County Sheriff's Office is working around the clock trying to find Byrd's killers, and there's a possibility those killers are actually already in custody on unrelated charges.
Two men were arrested in western North Carolina on Tuesday for federal gun crimes. The sheriff's office said Tuesday that the two men were arrested on "federal detainers unrelated to the Byrd homicide." However, sources told ABC11 that the men were suspected of being connected to the Byrd investigation.
One of the men has been identified as Alder Alfonso Marin. He appeared in federal court in Winston-Salem for charges related to him reportedly being in the United States illegally and transporting a gun across state lines. The other man's identity remains unknown.
Court documents unveiled Wednesday showed that Marin was pulled over in summer of 2021 in Chapel Hill driving the same Golden Escalade he was pulled over in on videos released Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Byrd's friends and family are preparing for a visitation, which will be held Thursday from 3-8 p.m. at Mitchell Funeral Home on Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh.
His funeral will then take place Friday at 11 a.m. at Providence Baptist Church. Raleigh Police Department will close Glenwood Avenue at 10:30 a.m. and Byrd's casket will be led to the church for the funeral by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol's Caisson Unit.
SEE ALSO: $100K reward offered for information about who killed Wake County deputy Ned Byrd
The scene of the crime
Sometime between 11 p.m. Aug. 11 and 1 a.m. Aug. 12, Byrd was shot multiple times.
He was wearing a protective vest and had gotten out of his unmarked SUV while on patrol on Battle Bridge Road near Auburn Knightdale Road. He got out of his vehicle to check on something and left his canine partner, Sasha, inside.
Investigators have video from the scene of the crime. They previously released images showing a white truck (thought to be a Chevrolet Colorado or a GMC Canyon) that was at the scene around the time of the killing. Sources told ABC11 that the truck was later found in Winston Salem.
Outpouring of support
All of these updates come as the community continues to try to cope with the loss of Byrd through tributes visible across the community.
In the East Five Points community, where Byrd lived along East Whitaker Mill Road, blue ribbons are tied to utility poles. Neighbors said they will miss seeing his squad car parked out front of his home because it provided them with a sense of comfort.
"This has been a wonderful way to honor him to have the blue ribbons tied around these poles around the neighborhood. Really, as you drive by you can't help but think about him and send a prayer up for his service and wish him well on the next phase of his being," said neighbor Wanda Urbanska. "He was a friendly presence on this street. Out in his yard a lot. We all took comfort in having him live across the street from us. It was nice to see the sheriff's car out there. It just feels like a real loss for him personally, neighborhood, family and sheriff's department."
And at a bar in the Five Points area in Raleigh, they reserved a seat for him and put out a drink and a photo of the deputy in his honor.
Sheriff Gerald Baker said nobody in the department will rest until they figure out what happened and find justice for Byrd.
"Sometimes it happens in a day or so, sometimes it doesn't. But we're on it and we're going to be on it until that day comes," Baker said. "It's tough, but we're going to make and he's going to see us through. No questions about that. But I know that in the end, we'll get what we need to get who we're looking for."
