A Greensboro, North Carolina, police officer who had worked as a lieutenant, lifeguard and instructor in Beach Haven for more than two decades was killed in a shooting at a supermarket just before Christmas, officials said.
Michael T. Horan, 44, was responding to a report of an armed man at a Food Lion in Greensboro on Dec. 23 when he was fatally shot, authorities said.
Greensboro police said Tuesday that Tarell Isaac McMillian, 34, of Greensboro, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder for Horan's killing. McMillian was being held in the Guliford County Jail without bond.
Horan was hired by the Greensboro Police Department in 2017 and quickly developed a reputation for courage. While visiting Emerald Isle, North Carolina, with his family in 2019, he risked his life by swimming 200 feet into the ocean to save a man and his son, who were caught in a rip current, according to Help a Hero, a fundraising website.
“To put it simply, we are heartbroken,” Greensboro City Manager Trey Davis said at a news conference.
Horan seemed comfortable with the ocean. He served with the Beach Haven Beach Patrol from 1995 to 2017 and had been a member of the U.S. Coast Guard since 2000, according to Help a Hero.
Michael Lawrence, former beach patrol chief, told WPVI-TV in Philadelphia that Horan was a consummate professional who helped people off the beach and back home.
“He just made people laugh. He made people feel comfortable. You just wanted to be around him,” Lawrence said. “He was one of those magnetic individuals.”
Horan was the first person to arrive at Food Lion after a 911 call, according to a statement from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Horan was killed “after a brief struggle” and “did not have time to draw or fire his weapon,” according to the department.
USA TODAY contributed to this story.
Michael L. Diamond is a business reporter who has written about New Jersey's economy and health care industry since 1999. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Former Beach Haven police officer killed in shooting at NC supermarket
