WINDSOR, N.C. (WNCT) — The Bertie County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of a suspect in a homicide officials said happened in October.

Sheriff Tyrone M. Ruffin said Michael Thompson, 19, was arrested on Friday morning. He was charged with the murder of Demetrice Futrell on October 25 on Pine Street in Lewiston/Woodville. He was arrested in Hampton, Va., by the Hampton Police Department Swat Team and the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office. 

On October 25, just after 1 p.m., deputies with the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of Pine Street in Lewiston/Woodville in reference to a person suffering from a gunshot wound. Deputies found Futrell dead when they arrived.

Investigators with the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office and North Carolina SBI investigated the incident and obtained warrants for Thompson, who is from Lewiston/Woodville. 

“It breaks my heart to see our young people who have not experienced life to cut their lives short.,” Ruffin said. “Whether it is spending the rest of their lives behind bars, or in a grave, the question is, is it worth it?

“As sheriff along with other community leaders, we have dedicated our time to make our community and County a better place and we want Bertie County to be known for positive things. My team and I will continue to use proactive strategies to reduce gun violence in our county.”

Ruffin thanked his team of deputies and investigators along with members of the North Carolina SBI, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Windsor Police Department, District Attorney Kim Scott and the Prosecutorial District 7 team and the Hampton Police Department.