This is a wild story. TL;DR: it’s a love triangle. The woman was with the trooper initially but then she started living with the sheriff’s deputy instead. Recently (relatively) she left the deputy and returned to the trooper. Sounds like each man was jealous of the other. Deputy asked the woman to come over to talk, she initially agreed but changed her mind, and also stopped responding to him. He threatened to come over and cause a scene of she didn’t talk to him. When he showed up they argued in the yard and the trooper shot the deputy as the deputy advanced on them.

The N&O is not identifying the woman because she is allegedly a victim of domestic violence, but they also mention that she’s the sister of the current head of the State Highway Patrol, which seems pretty identifying for anyone who knows her.

The SBI is handling the investigation, although the State Highway Patrol is also conducting their own investigation. The North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys is handling the case at the request of the Cumberland County District Attorney and has appointed a former prosecutor from Wake and Durham counties as Special Prosecutor.