Nekime Oxendine is a North Carolina state trooper who is facing a first-degree murder charge in connection with the fatal shooting of Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office Captain Adam Bean. According to the information contained in search warrants and reports, the case centers on a complicated romantic relationship involving Oxendine, Bean and a woman who had relationships with both law enforcement officers at different times. Bean, 42, was found seriously injured in the front yard of the woman’s home in Hope Mills, North Carolina, on March 27.
Authorities say Oxendine was later accused of shooting Bean during an encounter outside the home. The circumstances surrounding the shooting have drawn attention because both men were members of law enforcement and because investigators say Oxendine had repeatedly questioned the woman about her relationship with Bean before the deadly confrontation. Oxendine was subsequently placed on administrative leave, and a grand jury indicted him on a first-degree murder charge. He remains behind bars without bond while the case moves through the court system, with his next court appearance scheduled for November.
Nekime Oxendine’s Career and Background
Oxendine worked for the North Carolina State Highway Patrol for 18 years before the shooting involving Bean. His long career in law enforcement is an important part of the case because the allegations involve one police officer being accused of killing another. Publicly available information cited in the investigation describes Oxendine as a state trooper who had spent nearly two decades working for the Highway Patrol. The case, however, is focused not on his professional career but on the events surrounding his relationship with the woman at the center of the dispute and his alleged actions on the night Bean was killed.
Investigators have examined text messages and other evidence in an effort to understand the relationships between the three people and what may have led to the confrontation. According to search warrants obtained by the News & Observer, Oxendine had previously been in a relationship with the woman before she later began dating Bean. The relationships eventually changed again, with the woman reconciling with Oxendine after her relationship with Bean ended. That history became significant to investigators because messages reportedly showed that Oxendine had concerns about Bean even while he was dating the woman.
In 2022, while Oxendine and the woman were together, he repeatedly questioned and accused her of having a romantic connection with Bean. One message cited in the search warrant showed Oxendine directly confronting her about speaking with Bean and warning that Bean should be prepared as well. The messages became part of the investigation because they allegedly demonstrated that Oxendine had been concerned about Bean and the possibility of the two continuing to have a relationship with the woman.
The woman later entered into a relationship with Bean, and the two lived together until December 2025, approximately three months before his death. According to the reported investigation, that relationship ended before she and Oxendine apparently reconciled. However, the earlier concerns about Bean did not completely disappear. Messages exchanged between the woman and Oxendine in February and March reportedly showed that Oxendine continued to ask questions about Bean and the nature of their relationship.
Investigators said he asked whether Bean was more attractive than him and accused Bean of still having influence over the woman. The woman reportedly responded by telling Oxendine that she wanted to build a future with him, but the messages indicated that Oxendine remained concerned about her connection to Bean. Those communications continued into the weeks leading up to the shooting.
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According to the warrant, Oxendine questioned the woman about her relationship with Bean as recently as March 18, roughly one week before Bean was killed. The warrant states that he told her he did not want to find himself “back in the same predicament” if she returned to Bean. These messages have become a significant part of the case because they provide investigators with a timeline of the relationship tensions that existed before the shooting.
What Happened to Captain Adam Bean?
Adam Bean was a captain with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and had worked for the agency for nearly two decades. He was 42 years old when he was killed. On March 27, deputies were called to a home in Hope Mills after Bean was found lying in the front yard. Investigators say he had blood on his chest and left arm, and he had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The home belonged to the woman who had reportedly been romantically involved with both Bean and Oxendine at different points.
The events leading up to the shooting began with an attempted meeting between Bean and the woman, according to the search warrant. Bean had asked her to meet him at his house so they could talk. She initially agreed but later changed her mind and stopped responding to his messages. Bean then reportedly asked whether she was coming before deciding to go to her home instead. The woman allegedly told authorities that she had asked Bean not to come to the property, but he went there anyway. When Bean arrived, Oxendine’s truck was reportedly parked outside the house.
According to the woman’s account to authorities, Oxendine then walked out of the home carrying a gun. She said he fired one round into the dirt before shooting several more times in Bean’s direction. Bean was struck by the gunfire and was critically injured in the front yard. When deputies arrived, the woman was reportedly performing CPR on Bean. Despite the efforts to save him, Bean died from his injuries at the scene. The details provided in the warrant form a central part of the prosecution’s account of what happened, but the allegations against Oxendine remain matters for the court to determine.
The shooting was especially significant because both Bean and Oxendine were law enforcement officers. Bean had spent almost 20 years with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, while Oxendine had served for 18 years with the State Highway Patrol. Instead of being a confrontation between strangers, investigators say the incident occurred in the context of relationships and tensions involving people who knew one another. The reported messages between Oxendine and the woman are being examined alongside the events of March 27 as authorities seek to establish what happened before the shooting and what may have motivated the confrontation.
The investigation also focused on the relationship between Bean and the woman in the months before his death. The two had reportedly lived together until December 2025, meaning Bean had been closely connected to the woman only a few months before the shooting. After their relationship ended, the woman and Oxendine apparently reconciled. Yet the reported messages indicate that Bean remained a source of concern for Oxendine.
The woman reportedly told authorities that Bean became upset when he arrived at her home and saw Oxendine’s truck outside. The encounter then escalated into gunfire. After Bean was killed, Oxendine was placed on administrative leave from the State Highway Patrol. His law enforcement career was therefore immediately interrupted as investigators pursued the case and authorities examined the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Murder Charge and What Happens Next
A grand jury indicted Nekime Oxendine on first-degree murder charges in connection with Adam Bean’s death. The indictment represents a major development in the case because it means the case is moving forward on a first-degree murder allegation following the investigation into the shooting. Oxendine remains behind bars without bond, and his next court appearance is scheduled for November. The criminal case will ultimately require prosecutors to present evidence supporting their allegations, while Oxendine will have the opportunity to defend himself against the charge.
At this stage, the reported evidence includes the circumstances of the shooting, the account provided by the woman who was at the center of the relationships, and text messages that investigators say showed Oxendine’s repeated concerns about Bean. Those pieces of evidence are expected to be important as the case proceeds through court. The reported history between Oxendine, Bean and the woman has made the case unusual, particularly because both men were experienced law enforcement officers.
According to investigators, Oxendine had known about Bean and questioned the woman about him for years, including during an earlier relationship. The messages from 2022 and those exchanged shortly before the shooting have been cited as evidence of continuing concerns over Bean. The woman reportedly attempted to reassure Oxendine that she wanted a future with him, but investigators say he continued asking about Bean until shortly before the fatal confrontation. On March 27, those tensions allegedly culminated when Bean went to the woman’s home, where Oxendine was present.
The woman told authorities that Oxendine came outside with a firearm, fired a shot into the ground and then fired several times at Bean. Bean was fatally wounded, and the woman attempted CPR until authorities arrived. For Oxendine, the case has transformed his long career as a North Carolina state trooper into a criminal prosecution carrying one of the most serious charges under state law. He has been accused of killing a fellow law enforcement officer in circumstances that investigators say were connected to a complicated romantic dispute.
However, an indictment is an accusation, not a finding of guilt, and the allegations will have to be tested in court. Oxendine will remain in custody without bond at least until his next court appearance in November. As the case progresses, prosecutors are expected to rely on the investigation and evidence gathered after Bean’s death, while the defense will have the opportunity to challenge the allegations and present its own account of the events. The court proceedings will determine how the evidence surrounding the relationships, the text messages and the March 27 shooting is ultimately interpreted in the case against the former 18-year Highway Patrol trooper.