A North Carolina State Highway Patrol sergeant has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge over the fatal shooting of a sheriff’s captain during a long-running dispute involving a woman both men had dated.
Nekime Matu Oxendine, 44, is accused of killing Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office Capt Adam Bean outside a home on Seattle Slew Lane in Hope Mills on 27 March.
A Cumberland County grand jury returned the indictment on 8 September. A judge ordered Oxendine to remain in custody without bond following a hearing the next day.
Search-warrant documents allege that Bean arrived at the property after asking Tara Lynn Whitman to meet him. He reportedly became angry when he saw Oxendine’s vehicle outside the house.
Investigators say Oxendine then came outside with a gun and fired one or two warning shots into the ground before shooting Bean several more times as he advanced towards him.
Deputies arriving at the scene found Whitman performing CPR on Bean, who was lying in the front garden. A handgun and magazine were recovered nearby, according to the court filings.
Years of tension between the two officers
The shooting followed years of tension surrounding Whitman’s relationships with both men, investigators said.
Court documents state that Whitman began dating Bean in 2022 after ending a long-term relationship with Oxendine. She later resumed her relationship with Oxendine and moved out of the home she had shared with Bean in December 2025.
Investigators cited messages in which Oxendine repeatedly questioned Whitman about Bean and sought reassurance over their relationship. Some of the conduct was described as stalking by Whitman and Bean, according to the warrant.
On the night of the shooting, Bean had initially asked Whitman to come to his home after work. When she stopped responding, he allegedly said he would go to her house and cause a scene by sounding his car horn.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation was asked to lead the inquiry. Electronic devices belonging to Oxendine, Bean and Whitman were seized as part of the investigation, according to earlier court filings.
The State Highway Patrol said Oxendine had been placed on administrative duty and that a separate internal investigation was continuing. The agency said it respected the judicial process and declined to comment further on the criminal case.
Bean, 42, had served with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office for nearly two decades and was assistant chief of detectives. He was later recognised with the office’s Merit Award for his service, leadership and contribution to the department.
Oxendine remains accused of first-degree murder. The charge has not been tested at trial.
