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Officer Michael Horan died in the shooting while responding to a report of an armed man at a Food Lion on Monday, Dec. 23, the Greensboro Police Department said in a news release. The Beach Haven native was 44 years old.
North Carolina Highway Patrol arrested Tarell McMillian, 34, about two hours away in Duplin County. The Greensboro man was charged with first-degree murder and was held without bond in the Guilford County jail.
Greensboro's police chief said Horan had "an outstanding reputation" in the department and city.
"Together, we are mourning Officer Horan -- who was a husband, father, son, friend, and much more to his family," said Chief MJ Harris.
Before Greensboro police hired Horan in September 2017, he was a lieutenant and lifeguard with the Beach Haven Beach Patrol, the New Jersey State Police Benevolent Association said in a Facebook post. From 1995 to 2017, the man nicknamed by the beach patrol as "Junior" protected the shores and trained countless young lifeguards.
Michael Lawrence, a former Beach Haven Beach Patrol chief, told WXII 12 News that Horan was his friend and a "true hero."
"He was amazing," said Lawrence. "There were no waves really that I believe he couldn't paddle out and bring somebody safely back to shore on. He made a lot of rescues like that. He would stay with the victims that he brought to shore sometimes. He would even walk them home to make sure they were OK."
Horan also joined the Coast Guard in 2000, according to his LinkedIn page. He served in several roles, including as a law enforcement officer, tactical fast boat instructor, and search and rescue operator.
As a Coast Guardsman, Horan conducted counterterrorism operations after the 9/11 attacks and undertook critical missions across New York, New Jersey, and Washington state. He was also stationed in North Carolina, Virginia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Horan put his Jersey Shore lifeguard skills to work while on vacation with his family in the southern Outer Banks town of Emerald Isle. He received a lifesaving award in 2019 after rescuing a father and son from drowning about 60 yards away from the shore, according to the Help a Hero page created in his memory.
Memorials for Horan have been created inside and outside Greensboro police headquarters.
No other suspects were wanted in Horan's killing. The shooting marked the year's 43rd homicide in Greensboro.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation was leading the investigation.
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