NC Food Lion shooting: Suspect identified, charged in shooting death of Greensboro police officer
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WTVD) -- A suspect facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of Greensboro Police Officer Michael Horan has been identified.
Horan was killed responding to a call at a Food Lion just two days before Christmas on Lawndale Drive just off Interstate 840 in northern Greensboro after reports came in just before 11 a.m. of a man with a firearm inside the store.
The State Bureau of Investigation said that shortly after Horan arrived, he encountered 34-year-old Tarell Isaac McMillian, of Greensboro, and a brief struggle ensued. Greensboro police say McMillian then pulled out a gun and shot the officer before getting in a car and driving away. Horan did not have time to draw or fire his weapon, the SBI said.
Horan was hired in 2017 and became a sworn officer in 2018. Greensboro Police Department said he was an "excellent" officer with an outstanding reputation. He was also a husband and father.
Memorials have been set up in his honor at police headquarters. One will be located outside and the other in the main lobby.
The Greensboro Police Officer Association set up a fundraiser online. Donations will go to supporting Horan's family in their time of need.
ABC11 sources said the chase that ended several hours after the Food Lion shooting and 150 miles away in Duplin County was connected to the case.
According to the SBI, the chase began in Johnston County when deputies spotted the suspect vehicle and began to pursue it. Sampson County deputies joined in and then the Highway Patrol took over.
The chase ended at Exit 355 (NC-403) near Warsaw at the Duplin County line.
McMillian is being held at the Guilford County Jail without bond. He also faces multiple charges related to the vehicle pursuit that led to his arrest. Other charges may be pending.
Greensboro Police said detectives are not seeking any other suspects in connection to this case. This was the city's 43rd homicide of 2024.
Horan is the second Greensboro police officer killed in the past 12 months. Officer Philip Dale Nix was off-duty when he was shot and killed Dec. 30, 2023, at a Sheetz convenience store while attempting to stop a crime in progress. Three people were arrested in Nix's shooting death.
