On October 25, 2023, at about 1:02 p.m., deputies from the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a person with a gunshot wound on Pine Street in Lewiston Woodville, North Carolina. They found 23-year-old Demetrice Raquawn Futrell deceased at the scene. Investigators from the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office, assisted by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations, opened a comprehensive investigation into the killing.

Investigators identified 19-year-old Michael Thompson of Lewiston Woodville as the primary suspect. On November 10, 2023, Thompson was taken into custody in Hampton, Virginia, by the Hampton Police Department’s SWAT team working with Bertie County investigators and was charged with Futrell’s murder. The sheriff commented on concern about young people’s involvement in violent crime and the need for proactive community strategies to reduce gun violence. The inquiry into the circumstances of Futrell’s death is ongoing.

If anyone knew Demetrice Futrell or has information about what happened on Pine Street that day, please come forward with tips.