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WINTON – Nearly 32 years following his tragic death, the life of Paul Futrell will hopefully be remembered in a special way.

On Sept. 18, 1992, Futrell became the first Hertford County Deputy Sheriff to lose his life in the line of duty. Now an effort is underway to name the US 13 overpass bridge just west of Winton in his memory.

“This has been on my heart since becoming the Sheriff in 2016 as well as being in law enforcement since 2003,” said Hertford County Sheriff Dexter Hayes, addressing the county’s board of commissioners at their regularly scheduled meeting Monday evening. “Deputy Paul Futrell is the only Hertford County deputy killed in the line of duty as far as I know of in the modern era. There was a constable in Winton that was killed sometimes in the 1800s.”

Hayes said on the day Futrell died, he was dispatched to a domestic call at a residence near Cofield.

“When he went to the house to assist a citizen to retrieve their child, unfortunately the call became deadly,” Hayes recalled “A subject came out of the house and shot Paul once, killing him instantly. Hertford County forever changed after that.”

“My request to is honor Paul by naming the US 13 overpass bridge in his honor,” Hayes said.

Hayes added that he has been working on this effort “for a while.”

“There’s several steps involved, beginning with an application process through North Carolina DOT (Department of Transportation),” he noted. “I also had to contact Deputy Futrell’s family, advising them of our intentions to honor him in this manner, and also have three letters of recommendation written and sent to DOT.

“I also have to come before this board and get your support through a resolution and to provide the minutes of this meeting to DOT. Once all of that is complete, the State Board of Transportation will vote on the request to name the bridge,” Hayes added.

Upon the state’s board favorable decision, signs will be erected at that bridge, which will cost the county a total of $2,000.

The commissioners unanimously approved the resolution in support of naming the bridge and committed $2,000 to that effort.

The resolution, in part, read that “Deputy Sheriff Paul Futrell served the Hertford County community with unwavering dedication and courage throughout his career with the Hertford County Sheriff’s Department; and Deputy Sheriff Futrell’s selfless acts of bravery and service embody the highest ideals of law enforcement, inspiring countless others to follow in his footsteps.”

News-Herald archives show that Futrell, age 36 at the time of his death, had served his country with the United States Marines. The Murfreesboro native then obtained his Basic Law Enforcement Training certificate and gained employment in 1990 with the Hertford County Sheriff’s Office.

He was married and the father of one daughter and one son.