CHARLOTTE, N.C.— A shootout happened Monday at a home in North Carolina, killing four police officers who were there to serve a warrant for a felon wanted for having a gun. Four other officers were also hurt.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said that some of the officers who rushed to the neighborhood to help the first group of downed officers were hurt when a second shooter started shooting at them after they killed the wanted man.
He said at a news conference, “Today we lost some heroes who were just trying to keep our community safe.”
It took three hours of fighting before the home in the suburbs of Charlotte was pulled open. It was hit by armored trucks, which tore off windows and left whole doorways broken. A number of armored trucks were parked across yards, and some of them had tree branches hanging off of them.
The wanted suspect opened fire on the U.S. Marshals Task Force as they got close to the house, killing the man in the front yard, Jennings said. His name wasn’t given out, but the police chief said he was wanted because he was a felon with a gun illegally.
Jennings also said that someone else fired on police from inside the house where a powerful gun was found.
After the battle, a woman and a male teen were found in the house. It was said that the two are being questioned.
The Marshal’s Service said that one of its agents had been killed. N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper said that two cops from the state’s Department of Adult Correction were also killed. The governor was in Charlotte, where the police officers who were killed and hurt were being buried. Their names have not been made public.
Following a few hours of being taken to the hospital, Jennings said that Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Joshua Eyer passed away. The chief said a few weeks ago that Eyer was named officer of the month for April.
He definitely gave his life and dedicated his life to keeping our people safe, Jennings said.
The task team is made up of federal agents and other police officers from all over the region. Another member of the group was hurt.
Three more Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers who came to the scene were shot while they were trying to help the cops who were hurt.
Gunshots were heard for a few minutes, according to neighbors.
According to WSOC-TV, an armored truck was seen driving through yards and knocking over recycling bins before police took someone out with blood on their shirt and put them in an ambulance.
The helicopter pilot said he couldn’t show the front lawn of the house after the house had been cleared because the scene was too painful and violent.
When he talked to reporters less than four hours after the shooting, Jennings said, “A lot of the questions that need to be answered, we don’t even know what those questions are now.” “We need to fully understand what happened and keep the investigation’s integrity at the same time.”
A lot of roads in the area, including I-77, were shut down so paramedics could get to hospitals more quickly. On TV, paramedics were seen speeding to hospitals with cars in front and behind them sounding their sirens.
When Rissa Reign heard the first shots, she was cleaning her house. After a short break, there were two more sets of shots, and then a third. She went outside.
She said, “When we got outside, there were no police at all. Then they started rushing, rushing, rushing, rushing in.” She also said that armed SWAT trucks quickly followed and “jumped over the grass and started shooting again.”
There are one- and two-story brick houses and small lawns in the area. Alex Rivera, who lives on a nearby street, said it is very safe.
On the front door of the house he shares with his cousin, he said, “I see about 50 police cars zooming in, and then I hear gunshots.” “There was a lot going on, and I was scared.”
William Cunningham, another neighbor, was moved to tears as he sat on his porch. He said he had been in Operation Desert Storm before but never thought his neighborhood would be so dangerous.
“Bless those police officers and their families,” he said. “A warrant should not lead to the death of anyone.”
Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools were put on lockdown around the time that they let their students go for the day, but the district said that the lockdown was lifted in the late afternoon.
After the police gave the all-clear, they told people to stay away from the area and told people to stay in their homes until them.
President Joe Biden was told about the shooting and called Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles to show his support for the city and offer his condolences.
“They are heroes who rushed into danger to protect us and gave the ultimate sacrifice,” Biden said in a statement late Monday. “We are sad for them and their families.” We also pray that the brave police officers who were hurt will get better.
In November 2018, a guard was shot and killed while on duty. The guy who shot Chase White in Tucson, Arizona, is wanted for stalking police officers in the area, the police agency said.
The Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force is made up of 70 federal, state, and local organizations. Its main office is in Charlotte. Criminal suspects are found and arrested with the help of fugitive task teams.
On its website, the U.S. Marshals Service says that the regional task team has caught more than 8,900 criminals in six years.
In March 2007, two Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers were killed while responding to a fight between family members. The killer was not involved in the fight itself. Because he killed police officers Jeffrey Shelton and Sean Clark, Demeatrius Antonio Montgomery is going to prison for life.
