David Walter Hathcock was a 57-year-old corporal with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office who was killed on September 23, 1997, during a traffic stop on Interstate 95 near Fayetteville. The stop began when a North Carolina Highway Patrol sergeant pulled over a stolen vehicle; Hathcock arrived to assist and attempted to handcuff the occupants. A fight ensued, one suspect produced an AK-47 from the vehicle and shot Hathcock multiple times, and a second suspect used the sergeant’s weapon to shoot both Hathcock and the sergeant at close range before fleeing.

The suspects, identified as 17-year-old Kevin Golphin and 19-year-old Tilmon Golphin, were captured after a high-speed chase and later convicted of capital murder and related charges, including armed robbery and possession of a stolen car. Kevin Golphin’s death sentence was commuted because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on juvenile executions; Tilmon Golphin’s death sentence was later commuted as well. Hathcock had served 18 years with the sheriff’s office and is survived by his wife and children; memorials in Fayetteville included large services and a bridge named in honor of Hathcock and the other fallen officer.

Does anyone have memories of that day on I-95 or information that could add to the timeline of the stop and the capture?