Update at 2:34pm 4/30/24:
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Four law officers serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and four other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday at a North Carolina home, police said.
Some of the officers who rushed to the Charlotte neighborhood to rescue the first wave of downed officers were wounded as a second shooter began firing on them after they killed the wanted man, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said.
“Today we lost some heroes who were out simply trying to keep our community safe,” Jennings said at a news conference.
After a three-hour standoff, the suburban Charlotte home was torn open. Armored vehicles smashed into it, ripping off windows and entire doorways that were left broken. Several armored vehicles were parked across yards, some with tree branches dangling off them.
The U.S. Marshals Task Force was fired on by the wanted suspect as they approached the house and the man was killed in the front yard, Jennings said. His name was not released, but the chief said he was wanted as a felon illegally possessing a weapon.
A second person then fired on officers from inside the home where a high-powered rifle was found, Jennings added.
A woman and a 17-year-old male were found in the home after the standoff. The two are being questioned, Jennings said.
The Marshal’s Service confirmed one of its agents was killed. Two officers from the state Department of Adult Correction also were killed, said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. The governor was in Charlotte and was speaking to the families of the officers killed and hurt. Their names have not been released.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Joshua Eyer died a few hours later at the hospital, Jennings said. Eyer was named the officer of the month for the force for April a few weeks ago, the chief said.
“He certainty gave his life and dedicated his life to protecting our citizens,” Jennings said.
One other member of the task force, which is made up of federal agents and other officers from across the region was injured.
Three other Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers who responded to the scene were shot while trying to rescue the wounded officers.
Neighbors said gunfire lasted for several minutes.
WSOC-TV said their helicopter captured an armored vehicle driving through yards and knocking over recycling bins before officers removed a person with blood on their shirt who was then loaded into an ambulance.
After the home was cleared, the helicopter pilot said he couldn’t show the front lawn of the home because the scene was too graphic and disturbing.
“A lot of the questions that need to be answered, we don’t even know what those questions are now,” Jennings said, somberly briefing reporters less than four hours after the shooting. “We have to get a full understanding of why this occurred and also uphold the integrity of the investigation.”
Many roads in the area including Interstate 77 were closed so ambulances could get to hospitals faster. TV footage showed ambulances speeding to hospitals escorted by vehicles both in front and behind with their sirens wailing.
Rissa Reign was cleaning her house when she heard the first shots ring out. There was a pause, then a second set of shots and then a third. She stepped outside.
“When we came outside, there were no cops at all, then cops started rushing, rushing, rushing, rushing in,” she said, adding armored SWAT trucks quickly followed and they “were going over the grass, everything, and they started shooting again.”
The neighborhood, of one– and two-story, brick homes and small trimmed lawns, is very safe, said Alex Rivera, who lives on a street nearby.
“I see, like, 50 police cars zooming in, and then I hear gunshots,” he said on the front porch of the house he shares with his cousin. “I was scared, because there was so much going on.“
Another neighbor, William Cunningham, was moved to tears as he sat on his porch. He said he is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm but never expected such violence in his own neighborhood.
“Bless those officers and bless their families,” he said. “Nobody should get killed over a warrant.”
Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools were placed on lockdown around afternoon dismissal, but that was lifted in the late afternoon, the district said.
Police urged people to stay away from the neighborhood and asked residents to remain inside their homes until the all clear was given.
President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting and spoke with Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles to express his condolences and support for the community.
“They are heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice, rushing into harm’s way to protect us,” Biden said in a statement late Monday. “We mourn for them and their loved ones. And we pray for the recoveries of the courageous officers who were wounded.”
The last marshal shot and killed in the line of duty was in November 2018. Chase White was shot in Tucson, Arizona, by a man wanted for stalking local law enforcement officers, the agency said.
The Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force is headquartered in Charlotte and comprised of 70 federal, state and local agencies. Fugitive task forces are collaborations between agencies to find and arrest suspects in crimes.
In six years, the regional task force has apprehended more than 8,900 fugitives, the U.S. Marshals Service said on its website.
In March 2007, two Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers were killed while responding to a domestic dispute by someone not directly involved in the fight. Demeatrius Antonio Montgomery is serving a life sentence in the killings of officers Jeffrey Shelton and Sean Clark.
Update at 5:10pm 4/29/24:
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Police say three law enforcement officers serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and five other officers were wounded in a shootout at a Charlotte, North Carolina, home.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said the officers were first shot at as they approached the suburban home Monday afternoon. He says they fired at a suspect in the front yard and after that man fell, more shots were fired at them from inside the home.
Jennings said at a news conference that a suspect was found dead in the front yard and two other people were found in the home after a three-hour standoff and are being questioned.
Authorities say they believe there were two shooters.
Update at 4:20pm:
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Police say that at least one suspect in the shooting of multiple officers in North Carolina is dead and that there is no further danger posed to neighbors.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said in a social media post late Monday afternoon that two other people who lived in a home at the center of the investigation are being questioned.
They also said late Monday that area around the shooting site is now safe and that neighbors no longer need to shelter in place. Police said earlier that several officers on a task force trying to serve a warrant were shot Monday afternoon.
Authorities did not immediately specify how many officers were shot or elaborate on their conditions.
Original Story:
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina say numerous law enforcement officers conducting a task force operation have been struck by gunfire in Charlotte.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were carrying out an investigation Monday afternoon in a suburban neighborhood when they came under fire. Police say multiple victims were taken to hospitals and a SWAT team was on the scene.
Gunfire continued after the officers were struck. Many roads were closed for faster ambulance transport. Police are urging people to stay away from the area and asked residents to stay inside their homes.
(Copyright 2024, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
