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POWELLSVILLE – A Bertie County man was shot to death near here Sunday night and his son is the leading suspect in the case.

Warrants for arrest has been issued for Mckenzie Raquez Watford of Sally Freeman Road. He is wanted for the homicide of Tony K. Watford.

In a press release, Bertie Sheriff Tyrone Ruffin said that the county’s Communications Center received a call at 9:44 p.m. on Sunday in reference to a male that had been shot and was not breathing.

Bertie County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Martin Phelps, Investigator Brandon Turner, Deputy Dakota Young, and Deputy Matthew Bond responded to the call and upon arrival they found Tony Watford shot to death at his home on NC 42 between Powellsvile and Colerain.

Through the initial investigation, deputies found that a family member went to Tony Watford’s residence to do a welfare check and discovered that the victim had been shot. The family member immediately contacted the Bertie County Communications Center.

Early in the investigation, Mckenzie Watford was identified as the suspect. Warrants were drawn for his arrest on the charges of first degree murder and larceny of a dog.

Ruffin asks anyone who knows the whereabouts of Mckenzie Watford to contact the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office at 252-794-5330. Watford is considered to be armed and dangerous.

Ruffin thanked the deputies and investigators of the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and investigators with the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office and the Hertford County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance with this investigation.