(CHARLOTTE, N.C.) — Four members of law enforcement were shot and killed and four were wounded while they attempted to serve two warrants in Charlotte, North Carolina, police said Monday.
Around 1:30 p.m. local time, the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force was serving active felony warrants for possession of a firearm by a felon and felony flee to elude on a male suspect at a residence on the 5000 block of Galway Drive in the city’s North Tryon Division.
The man, later identified by authorities as Terry Clark Hughes, Jr, 39, allegedly began firing, striking multiple officers, police said.
The officers on the scene requested immediate backup. The suspect allegedly continued to fire as more officers arrived.
Hughes allegedly exited the residence with a firearm. Seeing Hughes as an “imminent deadly threat” officers fired on the suspect, who was later pronounced dead at the scene, according to officials.
Eight officers were hit with gunfire and transported to local hospitals.
Two females who were at the residence were taken to the Law Enforcement Center for interviews with detectives.
Three members of the task force were pronounced deceased at the hospital, officials said Monday night. Todd Ishee, North Carolina’s Secretary of Adult Corrections, confirmed in a statement that two of the task force members were 14-year Department of Adult Corrections veterans Sam Poloche and Alden Elliott. The third was not immediately identified.
“They loved their work, and were passionate about their roles in protecting our communities,” Ishee said in a statement.
Poloche is survived by a wife and two children, and Alden is survived by his wife and one child.
Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Officer Joshua Eyer was critically injured and later succumbed to his injuries, authorities said. He was a six-year veteran of the force and is survived by a wife and 3-year-old child.
Four other law enforcement officials were injured in the shooting. Their names have not been released.
“The bravery of our officers that responded to the scene, knowing that they’re going into gunfire is what I’ve been saying for many years, is in the face of danger. our people step up,” Jennings said.
In a statement on social media, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said he was in touch with police about the shooting and has offered up state resources to help.
An emotional Mayor of Charlotte, Vi Lyles, said she heard from the White House, members of Congress and state officials offering their support.
“Your father, your husband, your friend, your neighbor … and today they’re not going home,” she said. “You know three people lost their lives today.”
Jennings said that in his 30-plus years in the department, he couldn’t remember a day like this.
“To me, it’s the most tragic one that I’ve been involved in,” he said.
President Joe Biden said in a statement Monday night that the four officers who died “are heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice, rushing into harm’s way to protect us. We mourn for them and their loved ones. And we pray for the recoveries of the courageous officers who were wounded.”
Earlier, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement, “The Justice Department is heartbroken by the deaths of three of our own law enforcement colleagues, and we extend our deepest condolences to their loved ones as they grieve this unfathomable loss.”
In a statement Monday night, Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said: “The tragic events in Charlotte today are a reminder of the dangers facing law enforcement across the country. Our thoughts are with the loved ones of all the federal, state and local officers who lost their lives or were injured.”
An investigation is ongoing.
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