Autopsy: Former NAACP president shot himself

Feb. 14—GUILFORD COUNTY — Civil rights leader and Guilford County Board of Elections member T. Anthony Spearman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound this past July, an autopsy released Tuesday says.

Spearman, 71, shot himself in the right temple with a .32-caliber handgun, according to the report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The gun was found next to Spearman's right hand near the side of his head in his Greensboro home.

Spearman, a former president of the North Carolina branch of the NAACP, was found on a couch in the basement of the house by relatives on July 19.

"Postmortem examination additionally revealed apparent self-inflicted small superficial cuts along the inside of both wrists, which did not substantially contribute to the demise," the report said.

Guilford County Sheriff's Office detectives found a hobby knife with blood at the handle and on the blade on a stool near a couch in Spearman's home on Farlow Drive. A small puncture wound with minimal bleeding was found on the right wrist, the medical examiner reported.

There was no evidence of alcohol consumption, according to the autopsy.

Detectives say there was an incident several days before Spearman's death between him and another person, whose name has not been released, in which a firearm was discharged. That person was released from custody later on the day of the incident. No other information has been released about what happened.

The Guilford County Sheriff's Office has provided few details about the investigation into Spearman's death.

The autopsy indicates that Spearman was last seen alive the night of July 18 on a Zoom call with professional associates and "was reported to be in good spirits during the meeting."

pjohnson@hpenews.com — 336-888-3528 — @HPEpaul