GARYSBURG – A Northampton County Deputy Sheriff was killed in an auto accident while responding to a call near here last night (Wednesday).

Northampton Sheriff Jack Smith confirmed the death of Deputy Makeem Brooks, age 27. Smith said Brooks was responding to a “shots fired” call in the Gaston area when his cruiser ran off the road, struck a ditch and overturned several times.

NCSO Deputy Makeem Brooks

Smith said Brooks, a native of Rocky Mount, had worked as a Northampton Deputy for six months.

“Our hearts are broken; this is so, so sad,” Smith told the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald this morning (Thursday). “He was such a fine young man with a promising future in law enforcement.

“Deputy Makeem Brooks was a great deputy, who loved his job, was always eager to learn, always displayed a positive attitude, and very proactive. Please keep the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office and our law enforcement family in your prayers,” Sheriff Smith added in a press release sent later Thursday morning.

The accident occurred near the intersection of US 158 and Old Highway Road, east of Garysburg.

About Cal Bryant

Cal Bryant, a 40-year veteran of the newspaper industry, serves as the Editor at Roanoke-Chowan Publications, publishers of the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald, Gates County Index, and Front Porch Living magazine.

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