Sgt. Nekime Oxendine is charged with first-degree murder in the March 27 death of Cumberland County Sheriff’s Capt. Adam Bean.
HOPE MILLS, NC — A North Carolina State Highway Patrol sergeant has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge in the shooting death of a Cumberland County sheriff’s captain, more than five months after the two off-duty law enforcement officers were involved in a confrontation outside a Hope Mills-area home.
A Cumberland County grand jury indicted Sgt. Nekime Matu Oxendine, 44, on Sept. 8 in the death of Capt. Adam David Bean, 42, according to court records and reports citing the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Bean was killed March 27. Oxendine appeared before a judge Sept. 9 and was ordered held without bond. The charge is an allegation, and the indictment does not establish guilt.
The case follows a months-long SBI investigation into a shooting that county officials initially described only as a domestic dispute involving two off-duty law enforcement officers. The SBI said it completed its investigation and provided its findings to a special prosecutor with the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys. Oxendine, an 18-year Highway Patrol veteran, has remained on administrative duty while the Patrol conducts a separate internal investigation.
Search warrant records made public during the investigation provide the most detailed account of what authorities say happened March 27. According to those records, deputies were called to a home on Seattle Slew Lane shortly before 11 p.m. Bean and Oxendine were both off duty. A woman at the home, who worked for the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, told investigators Bean arrived and was upset after seeing Oxendine’s pickup truck outside the residence.
The woman told investigators that Oxendine came outside carrying a gun as Bean approached him. According to the search warrant account, Oxendine fired at least one round into the ground before firing additional shots as Bean continued toward him. Bean was struck and collapsed in the front yard. The account contained in the warrants reflects a witness statement gathered during the investigation and has not been tested at trial.
When deputies arrived, they found the woman performing CPR on Bean in the yard, according to the search warrants. Bean died from his injuries. Investigators later sought evidence that included electronic devices and other records as they examined the circumstances surrounding the confrontation. Authorities did not immediately announce criminal charges after the shooting, and the SBI continued its investigation for several months before the case was presented to prosecutors.
Bean had served with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office since March 2006 and was the agency’s assistant chief of detectives at the time of his death. The Sheriff’s Office posthumously recognized him with a Merit Award during the 2026 Public Safety VALOR Awards on Sept. 9. The agency said the honor recognized his service, leadership and work on a modernization of its career development and employee pay structure.
Oxendine joined the State Highway Patrol in 2008 and was promoted to sergeant in 2023. After the indictment became public, the Highway Patrol said it recognized that Oxendine had been criminally charged and would respect the judicial process. The agency said its own internal investigation was continuing and that Oxendine would remain on administrative duty pending its outcome.
The first-degree murder charge moves the case from an investigative stage into the criminal court system, where prosecutors will be required to prove the allegation beyond a reasonable doubt. The indictment itself does not resolve disputed facts surrounding the confrontation, including how jurors may ultimately evaluate the witness account and other evidence collected by investigators. No trial date had been publicly announced as of Thursday.
Oxendine remained in custody without bond following his first court appearance. WRAL reported that his next court appearance is expected in early November. The Highway Patrol has said it will not comment further while its internal review remains underway.
Author note: Last updated September 10, 2026.