Suspect in officer death caught near Sampson

A 34-year-old Leland man is in the Guilford County jail charged with the murder of a Greensboro police officer following a high-speed multi-county chase down I-40 earlier this week that ended near the Duplin-Sampson County line.

Tarell Isaac McMillan, of 7715 Ocean Hwy. E., Leland, was taken into custody without incident Monday afternoon and returned to Greensboro the following day. He made his first court appearance Thursday. He remains behind bars without privilege of bond, now charged with murder and a slew of traffic offenses.

McMillan is accused of going into a Greensboro Food Lion armed with a gun just before 11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 23. When Greensboro Police officers arrived, McMillian allegedly shot Officer Michael Horan, who died from his injuries.

The suspect fled the grocery store, leading to a pursuit on I-40, which took him into Sampson and then just inside the Duplin County line.

According to Sampson County Sheriff’s Capt. Marcus Smith, Johnston officers chased the suspect into Sampson on I-40, where local deputies then picked up the pursuit.

“He was the same man.Johnston County officers picked him up somewhere in Johnston County and chased him into Sampson County on I-40,” Smith said. “We picked him up around the Suttontown exit and chased him to the Duplin County line somewhere.”

That’s where N.C. Highway Patrol troopers picked up the pursuit, according to Smith and Patrol Sgt. Kevin Pearson. Trooper Steven Naylor pursued the suspect and performed a pit maneuver to stop the suspect’s vehicle, where he was immediately taken into custody.

“He was apprehended just inside Duplin County at Mile Marker 360, that’s where he was apprehended,” confirmed Pearson. ‘He exited the vehicle with hands up and was taken into custody without incident.”

Smith said traffic along I-40 in Sampson and Duplin was backed up for miles as officers detained the suspect. McMillan was transported back to Guilford County Tuesday.

A Facebook post on the Greensboro Police Department’s accounted stated, “Greensboro detectives are not seeking any other individuals connected to this homicide investigation.”

According to Fox 8 News in Greensboro, multiple Greensboro police officers were seen in court awaiting the appearance.

That news report indicated that Judge Michelle Fletcher presided over the appearance on Thursday. McMillian appeared over video call. The judge advised McMillian that if he is found guilty of first-degree murder, he could face the death penalty or life in prison.