Jury selection begins for man accused of killing NC police officer

Jury selection began Monday for a man accused of killing a Shelby police officer three years ago.

Irving Fenner Junior is accused of shooting and killing Shelby K-9 officer Tim Brackeen on September 10, 2016. Fenner faces the death penalty.

Brackeen was attempting to serve a warrant on Fenner in the area of Parkview Street when Fenner allegedly shot Brackeen in the torso. Brackeen died a few days later.

Shelby Police Chief Jeff Ledford said it doesn’t seem like it’s been three years since Brackeen was killed, but that may be because there is still a lot going on around the incident.

Ledford said the court process is something he’d like to finish as soon as possible, but he understands why it’s taken so long for a trial date to arrive.

“I understand it takes time and so I think at the end of the day, that’s worth it. It is a long journey, but I think you just have to keep it in your mind that this journey is this long for a reason,” said Ledford.

Chief Ledford keeps a road sign bearing the slain officer’s name in his office. It’s a symbol of honor, but a reminder that he lost one of his own.

“As the leader of the organization, everything here is my responsibility and I know that and I accept that. I know every member of our team here that when they go out to go to work, they go out to provide a service whether it’s on the street or in a dispatch center or wherever it may be. I know I’m responsible and that’s just something that I kind of process as we go along,” said Ledford.

The chief described the loss of Brackeen as a “hole” in his department that will never be closed.

Hundreds of people attended the slain officer’s funeral.

This story was originally published September 30, 2019 at 1:35 PM.