HOPE MILLS, N.C. (WTVD) — A North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP) trooper has been indicted and charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a Cumberland County sheriff’s captain.
Capt. Adam Bean was shot and killed on March 27 at a home in Hope Mills.
Nekime Matu Oxendine, 44, was indicted on Tuesday. A judge ordered that he be held without bond. Oxendine is being held in Moore County.
State Trooper Nekime Oxendine
NC Highway Patrol
“The North Carolina State Highway Patrol understands that Sgt. Nekime M. Oxendine has been criminally charged,” the Highway Patrol said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “The Patrol respects the integrity of the judicial process and our system of laws that we all hold dear. This is a difficult and tragic event for all involved. While this criminal investigation has moved forward, the Patrol has been conducting a separate internal investigation. That investigation is continuing, and Sgt. Oxendine remains on administrative duty pending the outcome of the internal investigation. The Patrol has no further comment.”
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said it completed its investigation and turned its findings over to a special prosecutor with the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys.
How the case unfolded
According to search warrants obtained by ABC11 in May, Oxendine was named as a North Carolina State Highway Patrol sergeant who, a witness said, pulled the trigger.
The documents state that the witness, who is a Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office employee, told investigators that Bean arrived home upset that Oxendine’s truck was parked there.
The May warrants state that Oxendine walked out of the house holding a gun and fired one shot into the ground. Moments later, he allegedly fired several more shots, striking Bean.
Bean was found lying on his back in the front yard. Investigators say the woman was performing CPR when deputies arrived.
Oxendine is an 18-year veteran of the Highway Patrol and remains on administrative leave. Bean had been with the sheriff’s office since March 2006.
Bean was recognized at Wednesday’s 2026 VALOR Awards Ceremony, the sheriff’s office said.
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Bean received the Merit Award in recognition of his outstanding service, forward-thinking leadership, initiative, and lasting contributions to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.
“Capt. Bean played a pivotal role in advancing a modernized Career Development Step Plan, addressing a pay structure that had not been comprehensively updated since its inception in 1980. His efforts helped strengthen the agency’s ability to recruit, retain, and support highly qualified personnel while contributing directly to the continued effectiveness of public safety operations throughout Cumberland County,” the sheriff’s office told ABC11.
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