Iraq Veteran commits suicide after killing deputy

Police: NC deputy slain trying to arrest Iraq vet

Associated Press
Posted: Thursday, December 8, 2011


A North Carolina deputy sheriff was shot and killed Wednesday as he tried to arrest an Iraq war veteran with an outstanding arrest warrant for not paying child support, authorities said. The suspect then took his own life.

Moore County Sheriff Lane Carter said that Deputy Richard Rhyne had spoken to the suspect around noon and determined he had an outstanding arrest warrant.

Carter said the suspect, Martin Poynter, pulled out a gun and fatally shot Rhyne outside an abandoned home near Vass, which is 60 miles southwest of Raleigh.

Poynter then turned the same gun on himself and also died, the sheriff said.

The sheriff said the 58-year-old Rhyne went to the home after deputies received a trespassing complaint. The deputy found the 33-year-old Poynter and his brother and had time to check their names before he was killed.

Rhyne had been in law enforcement for 37 years and a Moore County deputy since 2007.

"Our hearts are awful heavy. It's like losing a family member," Carter said.

The suspect's brother witnessed both shootings, Carter said, but he was not involved in the killing and was not arrested.
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