RALEIGH, N.C. — It's a somber reality Bill Dowey is still trying to process — he'll no longer spar with his friend Ned Byrd.

"He was the same everywhere, man. Ned's the kind of guy that if someone didn't like Ned, I wouldn't trust him," Dowey said.

Dowey says he woke up to countless phone calls and texts about Byrd early this morning. The Wake County sheriff's deputy was shot and killed near Raleigh late Thursday night.

Dowey knew Byrd for about 15 years as his jiu jitsu trainer, friend and sparring partner at Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy of Raleigh.

"He was like everybody's big brother. If you had a problem, he'd try and take care of it for you," he said.

It's an emotional time not just for Dowey, but for others who knew Bryd. Dowey says jiu jitsu is a sport requiring a lot of trust, and you get to know people well.

"Ned wore his heart on his sleeve. There was no doubt about what Ned was, ever. He really was one of the best people I ever met," Dowey said.

Dowey knows these next few days won't be easy. He has few words to describe how he feels except to say Byrd will be remembered.

"He touched a lot of people just by being who he was," he said. "I'm just super bummed out and I know a lot of other people are, and it just sucks to lose someone like Ned."