Deputy on the force for 6 months dies in crash as he responds to call, NC sheriff says
A 27-year-old deputy in North Carolina died Wednesday in a car crash while he was on duty, the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office said.
He was on the force just six months, according to the sheriff.
“Deputy Makeem Brooks was a great deputy, who loved his job, was always eager to learn, always displayed a positive attitude, and very proactive,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a post about his death Thursday.
Brooks was responding to a call for shots fired in Gaston on Wednesday around 11:36 p.m. when he lost control of the car, the sheriff’s post states. The accident happened on Highway 158 close to Garysburg, a small town near the Virginia border.
The patrol vehicle flew off the highway, hit a ditch and rolled several times, WITN reported. Brooks was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later, and the Highway Patrol is investigating.
A second deputy close behind was first on the scene, WRAL reported.
“We are holding our own,” Sheriff Jack Smith said, according to the media outlet. “It is just like losing a family member when one of your officers passes. [He was a] young man with a lot of life, but he died doing what he loved doing, serving the citizens of this county.”
Brooks was originally from Rocky Mount and had just moved to the area, WRAL reported.
He had four children, the sheriff told WITN.
The Greater Love Christian Community Church in Rocky Mount, which Brooks reportedly attended, posted about his death Thursday.
Pastors Audrey McCarter Hedgepeth and Anthony Hedgepeth said Brooks was in touch just hours before the accident, saying “he missed being in worship with us and would be back with us soon.”
“Our Keem was a dedicated man. He loved God, his family, his job and everyone he encountered,” the post states. “We thank God for the commitment Keem showed, and we pray that in his passing, his legacy of love and dedication will always be remembered.”
This story was originally published November 14, 2019 at 5:05 PM with the headline "Deputy on the force for 6 months dies in crash as he responds to call, NC sheriff says."
