(WatchDogReport.org) – Four police officers were killed while attempting to serve a warrant at a property in east Charlotte, North Carolina, at roughly 1:30 p.m. on April 29. Three officers in the U.S. Marshal Task Force, including a Deputy U.S. Marshal, were killed. In addition, an officer from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department died in the incident.
The officers were attempting to serve a warrant relating to illegal possession of a firearm when the suspect opened fire on them from inside his home, prompting the officers to return fire from the front yard. Four other officers were wounded in the shootout.
A high-powered AR-15 semi-automatic rifle was discovered inside the residence, along with a 40-caliber handgun and ammunition. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said to reporters that the shootout was the worst attack on the police that he had seen in his 30 years of work with the force. He praised the officers as “heroes” who were prioritizing the safety of the community.
The attack is the deadliest carried out against U.S. police since 2016. Democratic Mayor Vi Lyles lamented that the city would not be the last where such an attack occurred but stated that Charlotte would heal with respect and dignity for all.
The 39-year-old suspect, Terry Clark Hughes Jr., was wanted for fleeing to elude in North Carolina’s Lincoln County in addition to an illegal gun possession charge. The officers killed have been identified as Joshua Eyer, William Elliott, Sam Poloche, and Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks. Hughes was also killed in the shootout.
Jennings commented that the AR-15 is capable of penetrating body armor and that the gunman was able to fire multiple rounds at officers in seconds. A second shooter was firing at officers from inside the home, but details relating to them have not yet been released. One of the wounded officers remains in critical condition.
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