BJJ Purple Belt and Deputy Sherrif Ned Byrd shot dead

This week saw some awful news, that Wake County Deputy Sherrif Ned Byrd was shot dead whilst investigating suspicious activity. He was shot multiple times when exiting his vehicle and was found several hours later by another Deputy. Byrd was a K9 Deputy whose K9 was found alive at the scene. Investigations are still going on but a suspect has since been arrested and is under investigation.

This news comes just days after BJJ legend Leandro Lo was shot dead by an undercover cop in Brazil. Aside from being known as a Deputy Sherrif, Byrd was also active in the Wake County BJJ scene. He was a purple belt and decorated competitor on the local circuit, often known for collecting medals in both gi and no gi competitions. With this in mind, it’s fair to say that it has been a sad few weeks for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and gun violence.