KINSTON, N.C. (AP) — A veteran North Carolina investigator was shot and killed while serving a murder warrant on suspects at a house in the eastern part of the state, authorities said.

Investigator Warren Lewis of the Nash County Sheriff’s Office was shot Thursday night while he was working with a fugitive task force to investigate a June 2 slaying, said Sheriff’s Lt. David Wooten.

"Investigator Lewis was a gentle soul and would go out of his way to give you the shirt of his back if he thought you needed it," Nash County Sheriff Dick Jenkins said in a statement.

Lewis, whose nickname was "Sneak," was a 9-year member of the Nash County Sheriff’s Department. He was married and had two children.

He had been working for three years with a task force of local and federal officers.

The task force was serving warrants on five people, including three who were wanted in the killing of 31-year-old dishwasher Thomas Hinton.

Officials said all five have been taken into custody, and three have been charged with murder.