Deputy Sheriff Wayne Harold Gaither

Wayne Harold Gaither

Deputy Sheriff Wayne Gaither was shot and mortally wounded by a man after he initiated a traffic stop at 11:00 p.m. on Redland Road, a quarter of a mile south of NC Highway 801 in Advance.

Deputy Gaither radioed the description of the vehicle and its license plate number, which he stopped for suspected drunk driving. Witnesses viewed a car speeding away after hearing gunshots. When they approached Deputy Gaither, he had multiple gunshot wounds. Deputy Gaither passed away at Davie County Hospital.

The suspect also shot and killed Captain Jack Renigar, of the Forsyth County Sheriff's Department, as he and other officers were attempting to arrest him for the shooting of Deputy Gaither.

The suspect was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to two 80-year terms in prison on July 14, 1976. He died in prison on July 31, 1992.

Deputy Gaither was a United States Army Vietnam War veteran who served with the Davie County Sheriff's Office for over a year and previously served with the Mocksville Police Department. He was survived by his wife, mother, two sisters, and a brother.