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Funeral arrangements have been made for the 23-year-old Watauga County Sheriff’s deputy who was fatally shot Thursday as he responded to a 911 call near Boone.
William Ronald Mast Jr. is survived by several relatives, including his wife and unborn son.
Around 1:15 a.m. Thursday, Mast went to Hardin Road off U.S. 421 about eight miles northeast of downtown Boone, after dispatchers received a 911 call from a home there. No one spoke when the call was answered, authorities said.
When Mast arrived, 33-year-old Mitchell Allen Trivette opened fire, striking Mast, authorities said. Another deputy returned fire, killing Trivette.
Both Mast and Trivette died as a result of their injuries.
Authorities have not revealed what might have led Trivette to shoot the deputy, and a search of public records revealed Trivette had no criminal convictions in North Carolina.
Mast grew up in Watauga County and was a member of Bibleway Baptist Church. His wife, Paige Mast, is pregnant with their son, who is to be named William Hunter Mast, according to Mast’s obituary.
Mast’s family will receive friends from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Monday at Mount Vernon Baptist Church, just outside Boone. The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the same church.
Mast’s body will be transported there by the N.C. Highway Patrol Caisson Unit, a group that carries fallen officers on a horse-drawn wagon to funeral services. Mast’s burial, which will include law enforcement honors, will follow at the Mast Family Cemetery.
Austin & Barnes Funeral Home & Crematory is assisting his family.
Mast’s family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to a fund for his son: the William Hunter Mast Scholarship Fund, in care of Highland Union Bank at 1013 N.C. 105, Boone, NC 28607.
A funeral service for Trivette has been scheduled for Wednesday. He is survived by his wife and two children, according to his obituary.
