Sergeant Philip Dale Nix

Philip Dale Nix

Sergeant Philip Nix was off duty when he was shot and killed when he attempted to intervene in a crime that he witnessed while at a gas station at 3202 Sandy Ridge Road in Colfax.

One of the subjects involved in the crime shot Sergeant Nix before all the subjects fled in a vehicle to the nearby interstate. Another off-duty officer and an off-duty paramedic who were also at the gas station immediately rendered aid to Sergeant Nix, but he succumbed to his wounds.

Three suspects were arrested the following day in Winston-Salem. The man who shot Sergeant Nix was charged with first-degree murder, larceny, and conspiracy to commit larceny. The other two suspects were charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder and other charges.

Sergeant Nix had served with the Greensboro Police Department for 23 years and was assigned to the Family Victims Unit. He is survived by his wife, children, and parents.