National Police Week: NC Officers Who Died In Line Of Duty

NORTH CAROLINA — The biggest effect the coronavirus pandemic had on National Police Week isn't that activities in North Carolina and elsewhere have been postponed, but the number of police officers whose lives and careers were cut short by the virus.

While their names won’t be read at the National Police Officers’ Memorial Service until its Oct. 16 rescheduled date, they will be honored virtually during National Police Week from May 9-16 this year.

The coronavirus has been cited for three police officer line of duty deaths in North Carolina in 2021, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. Nationally, 63 of the 119 police line of duty deaths in 2021 as of May 4, just under 53 percent, have been due to the virus.

COVID-19 caused 234 of the 362 line of duty deaths nationwide in 2020. Before the virus, 150 active police officers died across the United States throughout 2019.

This year, seven police officers in North Carolina died while on duty, including the virus-related deaths. They were:

First Sergeant Timothy Lee Howell

• End of watch: Jan. 7, 2021
• A member of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Howell died after a lengthy battle with COVID-19

Sergeant LaShonda Owens

• End of watch: March 18, 2021
• Owens, an officer at Northampton County Detention Center, died from complications after contracting COVID-19.

Deputy Sheriff Joseph Brandon Gore

• End of watch: April 3, 2021
• Brunswick County Sheriff's Office Deputy Joseph Brandon Gore died from complications after contracting COVID-19.

Police Office Brent Nelson Hall

• End of watch: April 3, 2021
• Newton Grove Police Officer Brent Nelson Hall was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Clinton, North Carolina when he lost control of his vehicle while traveling at a high rate of speed, WTVD reported.

Police Officer David Parde

• End of watch: April 17, 2021
• A former officer with the Lexington Police Department, Parde was paralyzed in 1992 when he was shot in the line of duty.

Deputy Sheriff Logan Fox

• End of watch: April 28, 2021
• Fox, a K9 deputy for the Watauga County Sheriff's Office, was killed alongside Sergeant Chris Ward while conducting a welfare check in Boone, North Carolina.

Sergeant Chris Ward

• End of watch: April 28, 2021
• Watauga County Sheriff Deputy Chris Ward was killed alongside Deputy Sheriff Logan Fox while conducting a welfare check in Boone, North Carolina.

After the coronavirus, shootings have caused the most police line of duty deaths nationally, as “gunfire” was cited by the Officer Down Memorial Page in 19. Nine police officers died by “vehicular assault,” seven in car crashes and six were fatally hit by a car.

President John F. Kennedy in 1962 designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week as Police Week. The Memorial Service began 20 years later with about 120 survivors and supporters of law enforcement gathering in Senate Park, according to the event’s website.

Since then, before the pandemic it had grown to attract up to 40,000 attendees every year.

The National Police Week schedule features a series of events, including seminars and a candlelight vigil. Due to the coronavirus, the candlelight vigil has been put off to Oct. 14, and the national police survivors conference to Oct. 15.