Second NC Trooper Killed in Line of Duty

By Cash Michaels –

For the second time this year, and on successive Sundays, a Black NC Highway Patrol trooper has lost his life in the line of duty, this time in a collision with a wrong-way driver.

The NC Highway Patrol reports that Master Trooper Steven J. Perry, 30, was killed when a vehicle traveling the wrong way collided with his patrol cruiser on NC 147 near Swift Avenue in Durham sometime before 3 a.m. Sunday, March 1, 2026.

The other driver, identified as Melshawn Moore, 39 of Kinston, was also killed in the accident. There were no other passengers involved in either vehicle. Authorities say Moore may have been impaired, and that he has a record of impairment. The investigation is ongoing.

The debris field was so extensive, the NCSHP said, that both lanes of the highway in the immediate area had to be closed down and did not reopen until 12 noon.

“Trooper Perry was a member of the 148th Basic Patrol School and has served Durham County throughout his nearly seven-year career,” the State Highway Patrol said in a statement. “During this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow troopers who had the privilege of serving alongside him. We ask that you keep the entirety of his family and our Patrol Family in your thoughts.”

Gov. Josh Stein added his condolences in an official statement: “Master Trooper Steven Perry dedicated his career to keeping people in Durham County safe. Please join me in keeping his loved ones and the law enforcement community in our thoughts and prayers. May his memory be a blessing.”

Beyond the obvious tragedies is the fact that two NC state troopers, both African American, trying to keep all North Carolinians safe on the highways, lost their lives in on-duty collisions on successive weekends.

During the early morning hours of February 22nd, Master Trooper Stien Davis, Jr., assigned to Troop B, District 7 in Robeson County, was killed in a single-vehicle collision shortly after midnight, according to the NC Highway Patrol. Reportedly, he was on duty, traveling in his patrol vehicle on NC Highway 130 in Robeson County, when he apparently lost control of his cruiser, veered off the roadway and overturned in a swampy area.

A funeral service was held for Master Trooper Davis at Robeson Community College.

Master Troopers Davis and Perry were the 73rd and 74th NC Highway Patrol troopers to die in the line of duty since the founding of the agency in 1929. The NCSHP employs 1,600 state troopers who patrol 80,000 miles of NC highways.