Driver who killed 24-year-old deputy crossing road faces DWI charge, NC sheriff says

A North Carolina sheriff’s deputy was struck and killed by a passing motorist while investigating an armed robbery, according the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

The deputy was identified as 24-year-old Oscar Yovani Bolanos-Anavisca Jr., and he had been with the department two years, officials said.

Investigators identified the driver as 24-year-old Nicholas Terlizzi and he faces nine charges, including felony death by motor vehicle, felony hit and run resulting in death or injury, driving while impaired, reckless driving, driving while license revoked, and failure to stop at a red light, state officials said.

The crash happened Friday, Dec. 16, at 2:46 a.m., when Terlizzi ran a red light, the sheriff’s office said.

“Deputies were investigating a business robbery at 2990 Gillespie Street. As deputies returned from running a canine track, our deputy, who was walking, was hit by a vehicle,” officials said.

“Deputies on the scene immediately administered lifesaving efforts. Our deputy was transported by ambulance to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.”

The BMW that struck the deputy “was located a short distance away,” officials said.

The driver was found about a mile and a half away at a Waffle House, station WRAL reports.

Terlizzi is being held in the Cumberland County Detention Center without bond, officials said.

“Deputy Bolanos-Anavisca ... was a dedicated, selfless member of the Sheriff’s Office who lost his life protecting the citizens of Cumberland County,” Sheriff Ennis Wright said in a news release.

“He started his career with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office in November 2020. Before being assigned to the ‘C’ platoon as unit C-12, Deputy Bolanos- Anavisca, Jr. served as a school resource officer at Hope Mills Middle School.”

An investigation is underway involving the NC State Bureau of Investigation and State Highway Patrol.

Cumberland County is about 60 miles south of Raleigh. The business robbery occurred at a convenience store on the southern edge of Fayetteville.

This story was originally published December 16, 2022 at 9:05 AM with the headline "Driver who killed 24-year-old deputy crossing road faces DWI charge, NC sheriff says."