A North Carolina state trooper has been indicted on first-degree murder charges in the death of Captain Adam Bean, a Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office officer who was shot outside a home in Hope Mills on March 27. Trooper Nekime Oxendine, who had worked for the State Highway Patrol for 18 years, is accused of fatally shooting Bean, who had served with the sheriff’s office for nearly two decades. Deputies found Bean, 42, lying in the front yard of a home belonging to a woman who had reportedly had romantic relationships with both men at different times. Bean was found with blood on his chest and his left arm. According to search warrants obtained by the News & Observer, the woman first dated Oxendine before later dating Bean. However, she eventually reconciled with Oxendine after ending her relationship with Bean. Text messages from 2022 show that while she and Oxendine were dating, he repeatedly questioned and accused her of being romantically involved with Bean. In one message, Oxendine texted her, "I see u have been talking to Adam!!! Best Wishes!!!" and "Better tell that [expletive] to get ready too!!!" The woman later dated Bean and lived with him until December 2025, about three months before he was killed. Text messages from February and March between the woman and Oxendine showed that they had apparently reconciled, but Oxendine still questioned her relationship with Bean. In messages, Oxendine asked the woman if Bean was more attractive than he was and accused Bean of still having power over her. She told Oxendine she wanted to build a future with him, but he continued to question her commitment. Oxendine reportedly raised these concerns with her up until March 18, about a week before the shooting. The warrant states that Oxendine told the woman he didn’t want to find himself "back in the same predicament" if she returned to Bean. Before the shooting, Bean had asked the woman to meet with him to talk at his house. While she initially agreed, she later changed her mind and stopped responding to Bean’s messages. Bean then asked the woman if she was coming, and decided to go to her home instead, even though she begged him not to. She reportedly told authorities that Bean had come to her home and was upset to find Oxendine’s truck parked outside. She said Oxendine walked out of the home with a gun and shot one round into the dirt before firing several times and striking Bean. When authorities arrived at the scene, the woman was performing CPR on Bean, who died from his injuries in her front yard. Oxendine was placed on administrative leave after the shooting and will remain in custody without bond at least until his next court appearance, scheduled for November.