YADKIN COUNTY, NC (WFMY) - A North Carolina state trooper died in an accident on Interstate 77 in Elkin Tuesday morning.
Roxboro police chief David Hess tweeted his condolences for Trooper Samuel Bullard out of Surry County around 7:15 a.m.
Elkin police said the wreck happened near the NC Highway 67 exit on I-77 south. A criminal investigation is ongoing.
According to Highway Patrol, Bullard and another trooper were conducting a driver license checkpoint just before 11 p.m. when a black BMW failed to stop and fled from the checkpoint. Troopers pursued the vehicle until reaching I-77 south into Yadkin County.
When one trooper lost sight of Bullard's vehicle, he attempted to reach him by in-car communications. Bullard's patrol vehicle was later found crashed at mile marker 80. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Our SHP family is devastated by the loss of Trooper Bullard. We are struggling to find words that describe the hurting we feel right now,” said Col. Glenn M. McNeill Jr., commander of the State Highway Patrol. “Trooper Bullard died as he was fulfilling his promise to the people of North Carolina, protecting and serving his community.”
Bullard, 24, was a three-year veteran assigned to District 5 (Surry County).