GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — Another North Carolina deputy was shot and killed in the line of duty.
The search for the gunman continues into Friday night.
The Wake County Sheriff said someone shot K-9 Deputy Ned Byrd late Thursday night.
He died from his injuries.
This now marks seven officers shot in our state, in the last three weeks.
Law enforcement faces these dangers every day.
With this many incidents in such a short amount of time, just as the wounds begin to heal, another opens up.
The North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission and the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Education and Training Standards Commission released a statement in response to the recent Law Enforcement Officer attacks.
“As the regulatory bodies responsible for maintaining the minimum standards for our law enforcement and other criminal justice officers in North Carolina, for developing their training, and for certifying those dedicated public servants who are serving in every community in our great state, we are saddened and outraged by the recent series of attacks on our law enforcement professionals in North Carolina. We condemn, in the strongest terms, the senseless acts of violence that have taken the lives of two North Carolina deputy sheriffs in as many weeks. There have been 11 incidents in North Carolina this year where an officer was shot and injured or killed, including five in August. This must stop. We send our support to the communities, families, and agencies impacted by these senseless acts of violence. To every officer who is certified by our two Commissions; your service and dedication to our profession remains among the noblest of pursuits and we thank you! Know that we stand with you and that we will continue to do so as we strive to provide quality justice services to all the citizens of North Carolina.”
Triad law enforcement also shared their insight.
The most recent shooting in Wake County marks the fourth this month in which a North Carolina law enforcement officer was killed or injured in the line of duty.
Two of those shootings happened in the Triad and two sheriff's offices said the cases hit too close to home.
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"It can happen here, it can happen anywhere," Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page said. "That one alarm call, that 911 hang up that you go to, or that one domestic call, that might be the one that someone tries to hurt you."
40 years of wearing a badge. Four decades of protecting the community.
But after several weeks of attacks on law enforcement, Page said officers everywhere must always have their heads on a swivel.
"You have to be prepared when you serve those papers, when you make a traffic stop, when you go take a lunch break, you have to be on your guard because there are some persons out here that don't care," Page said. "It's a small percentage, but that small percentage can end your life."
Page has seen this first hand with his deputies.
"We have had some deputies in our agency that have been shot in the line of duty," Page said. "In my tenure here as sheriff and when I was a deputy years ago with the sheriff's office, but we've had some deputies that have been shot and we're very fortunate none of our deputies lost their lives."
Sgt. Southern has been with the Guilford County Sheriff's Office for two decades.
In recent years, he has seen more criticism and hostility towards his profession.
He wishes more people would realize they're just doing their jobs.
"The more I see it, the more what we need to make people aware of is, hey, we're out here trying to help people," Southern said.
"These are some tough times in North Carolina, and these are some tough times for our nation, and people gotta wake up," Page said.
Law enforcement officers know the dangers of their jobs, they pray it never takes them from their families.