Eight police officers who were part of a US Marshals Task Force were shot today in North Carolina. Three of the officers have died and one more is said to be in critical condition. The suspect was shot by officers and killed but they believe there was a second shooter inside the house.
Around 1:30 p.m., members of the task force went to the 5000 block of Galway Drive to serve a warrant on a person for being a felon in possession of a firearm, Johnny Jennings, the chief of police for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, said at a news conference Monday evening.
When they approached the person, the shooter fired at them. The officers returned fire and struck the person, who was later pronounced dead in the front yard of the residence. The police did not release the name of the shooter or any of the law enforcement officers.
As police approached the shooter, Chief Jennings told reporters, the officers were met with more gunfire from inside the home. Two people inside were taken to the station as “persons of interest,” and one of them was a 17-year-old, Chief Jennings said.
So it sounds like a felon decided to die rather than surrender his guns and when police killed him either his son or his wife decided to continue shooting. If there is some other motive for all of this, no one is reporting it yet. The shootout lasted at least 30 minutes:
Witness Tyler Wilson told CBS News he was working at home when he heard police shout for the suspect to come out of the house.
“After that, it was just chaos,” he said. “There was shots ringing left and right.
“We had Swat, and US Marshals set up snipers in our bedrooms. There was an officer [that] got dragged by his arms through our house.”
“It’s been pretty crazy,” he continued. “It was about 30 minutes where it was a straight shootout.”
And as mentioned, the result was one suspect dead and eight officers shot.
Three members of the US Marshals task force were killed, Jennings said. In a statement to CNN, the US Marshals Service confirmed one of the dead was a deputy US Marshal.
Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers were also shot, including one who is in critical condition “fighting for his life” in the hospital, the police chief said. The other officers are in stable condition.
The chief did not name the officers as authorities are working to notify their families.
The US Marshals posted this on X:
Our hearts are heavy tonight for the lives shattered by today’s horrific shooting in Charlotte, NC. We mourn the loss of our Deputy and two Task Force Officers. We are grateful for all the support, and we keep the families and colleagues of all officers involved, in our thoughts. pic.twitter.com/ZVOUfielDu
— U.S. Marshals Service (@USMarshalsHQ) April 29, 2024
The mayor of Charlotte posted this statement.
I am deeply saddened by the shooting that occurred that involved Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers and US Marshals today. I ask that all Charlotteans keep them, the other injured officers, and their families in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time.
— Mayor Vi Lyles (@CLTMayor) April 29, 2024
The governor also posted one.
I am in contact with law enforcement concerning the tragic shooting in the Charlotte area, and we have offered state resources to help. – RC
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) April 29, 2024
This is the deadliest day for law enforcement since the Dallas shooting in 2016.
The violent episode on Monday was one of the deadliest attacks on law enforcement in recent years. In July 2016, five officers were killed in Texas after an armed sniper opened fire in downtown Dallas during a demonstration against fatal police shootings. Four Dallas police officers and one transit officer were killed. The police killed the gunman, Micah Johnson, 25, with an explosive sent by a remote-controlled robot.
Here’s a report from CBS News.
Three law enforcement officers were killed and at least five other officers were injured during a shootout at a home in Charlotte, North Carolina, while executing a fugitive warrant. Police say one suspect was killed and two additional individuals are being questioned. pic.twitter.com/otP04wXkjF
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) April 29, 2024
I’ll update this post tonight if there are any more developments. I’m guessing one of the suspects in the house is going to be arrested tonight.