‘A lot of wrong’: Family of Ned Byrd accuses sheriff of retaliatory, improper behavior

The family of slain Wake County Sheriff’s deputy Ned Byrd alleges that Sheriff Gerald Baker engaged in retaliatory actions against Byrd’s family and colleagues in the aftermath of Byrd’s fatal shooting.

The allegations include the sheriff’s recent reassignments of three K-9 officers who worked with Byrd, which the family say were demotions. Baker also allegedly made a request for Byrd’s uniform to be removed from him before his cremation.

“A lot of wrong has been done,” said Byrd’s sister, Mignon Perkins. “(Baker’s) office requested to have his uniform back, requested that we cut it off of him before he goes to be cremated, including all his brass, everything. What good would that have done for anyone to cut of a uniform off of an officer that’s been laid to rest? That was petty. And that was poking fingers ... he was just trying to poke me back.”

In a Saturday afternoon press conference outside the Sheriff’s Office in downtown Raleigh, Perkins and Byrd’s uncle Walter Penney said the sheriff’s actions, which Baker has denied, stem from petty retaliation after the family asked for K-9 deputies to take the lead in officiating the funeral.

The deputy was ultimately cremated in his uniform after the family expressed outrage a day before the Aug. 19 funeral.

The family told WRAL, who first reported the allegations on Thursday, that Baker’s office said they wanted to “gift” the uniform to the family. Byrd’s family provided to WRAL a funeral home document signed by the sheriff’s spokesman Maj. Barry Jones that said, “You can cut the pants and shirt if needed.”

The Sheriff’s Office did not confirm the validity of this document to The News & Observer.

The family members said Baker was angry about Perkins’ specific request for one of Byrd’s fellow K-9 officers to do the honor of draping an American flag on Byrd’s coffin.

Perkins came from Mississippi to North Carolina after Byrd died. She said it would be customary for the sheriff to lay the flag on the coffin, but that she preferred for the deputies to do it because she was unsatisfied with Baker’s actions after Byrd’s death.

“I chose for it not to be him because (Baker) wasn’t up front and center with me,” she said. “When I got here, it was the K-9 unit that has been by my side, and that’s who I’ve seen physically every day. So I chose one of them. I think that ... he feels disrespected. But I don’t care. Because it was disrespectful to me and my brother to ask for his clothes back. It was disrespectful for him not to come to me about information I had to hear from other people. I should have been the first one here. And I shouldn’t have to call a meeting to make my point ... I poked the bear and he’s poking back.”

The family believes the reassignments, or demotions, of three K-9 officers involved with Byrd’s funeral were part of the sheriff’s retaliation.

Penney, Byrd’s uncle who lives in Indiana, accused the sheriff of a general lack of transparency when the family sought details after his death, saying that they received assistance and clarity from Byrd’s colleagues in the K-9 unit instead.

He said he was told by Deputy Devin Richardson, who was a K-9 colleague of Byrd’s, that his job was handed over to “trainees” by the sheriff.

Moreover, Penney criticized Baker for his leadership and the reported lack of morale and turnover within his office.

“In what way did your recent reassignments promote positive mental health or keep morale the highest it’s ever been for those whose whose lives have been significantly impacted by this loss?” said Penney. “How does this providing no rationale for abrupt and inappropriately timed assignment changes aid in transparency and accountability for the public and the members of your office?”

Specifically, Penney said “multiple different confirmed sources” told him that other law enforcement agencies offered to cover for Wake deputies so they could take time to attend Byrd’s funeral, but that Baker’s office denied the offer.

Baker stood by his denial of inappropriate reassignments after deputy Byrd’s death.

A Thursday evening report by WRAL said Baker removed three officers from the K-9 unit where Byrd worked, allegedly for their involvement in his funeral. The N&O asked the Sheriff’s Office to confirm the reassignments but did not get a response.

“I am not going to address information deriving from social media posts or other sources that some media outlets have chosen to report to the public as facts or tips,” Baker said in a statement Friday afternoon.

Three officers had been reassigned to positions widely seen as demotions in the law enforcement community, particularly one former K-9 officer who worked alongside Byrd and has since been tasked to work as a detention officer at the county jail.

“[P]ersonnel moves within the Wake County Sheriff’s Office have taken place and result from the needs of this office in serving this county,” Baker added later in his statement. “Additionally, reassignments are a necessary part of organizational and career development, and, broadens the experiences of deputies as they advance in their law enforcement careers.”

“We’re concerned. We’re not just just worried,” said Penney. “We actually worry about these people. We love these people. They stood up, they did the right thing. And now they’re being victimized.”

Wake County leaders concerned

The Wake County Board of Commissioners has received dozens of emails from community members demanding Wake County leaders take action.

But there is little the board can do, officials said.

“It’s important for the public to know that Sheriff Baker is an elected official, and in control of his own personnel and decisions, and we have no more control over him than we do any other elected official in the county,” said Commissioners Chair Sig Hutchinson.

Regardless, commissioners said they are working to get more information. The board’s next regular meeting is at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Wake County Justice Center.

“This is obviously very concerning to us,” Hutchinson said. “And we’re going to be trying to find out more in the coming days, including talking to the sheriff.”

Earlier this year, Baker lost the Democratic primary to challenger Willie Rowe. He will end his term as sheriff in December.

Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker letter by Mark Schultz on Scribd

Deputy killed on rural road

Byrd was shot and killed Aug. 11 in a rural area on Battle Bridge Road near Auburn Knightdale Road after responding to a domestic incident. He was 48 years old.

Byrd was a 13-year veteran of the Wake County Sheriff’s Office.

His funeral came a day after a the first arrest was made in the shooting. Arturo Marin-Sotelo was arrested, and later, his brother, Alder Marin-Sotelo, was also arrested and charged with Byrd’s murder.

The Sheriff’s Office has not released a possible motive in the killing.

The Sheriff’s Office has set up a bank account for donations to help Byrd’s surviving family. Those who want to help Perkins, who is Byrd’s Sister, can visit any of the 272 SECU branches statewide. All donations should be made out to “Account Benefiting Mignon Perkins.”

Donations can be mailed to:

State Employees Credit Union NC

c/o Account Benefiting Mignon Perkins

1595 Corporation Parkway

Raleigh, NC 27604

‘He set the bar very high.’ Mourners remember slain Wake officer Byrd as loyal, selfless