CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Four law enforcement officers were killed and four others were injured Monday in a shooting at a Charlotte, North Carolina, home where authorities first arrived to execute a warrant.
The suspect who fired at the officers was shot dead on the lawn of the home, and two other people inside the home were later taken in for questioning. Officials say there may have been multiple gunmen. In the aftermath, condolences poured in from small communities to the White House for the officers involved in one of the deadliest attacks on law enforcement in recent memory.
Here's what we know:
Shooting incident in Charlotte, North Carolina
On Monday around 1:30 p.m., officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force arrived at a home in suburban Charlotte to find multiple active warrants for 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes Jr., who was wanted on firearms charges. was executed. She was convicted of being a felon and two counts of being a fugitive, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
Police said Hughes was armed with a “high-powered rifle” and opened fire on riot police officers as they approached, striking several people. Officers shot and killed the man, who was later pronounced dead on his front lawn. Another gunman began firing from inside the house.
After a standoff that lasted several hours, authorities surrounded the home with armored vehicles and discovered at least one assault rifle. According to a police statement, the two women were taken in for questioning after leaving the house. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings previously said a 17-year-old boy and a woman were being questioned.
8 police officers shot, 4 killed
Eight police officers (four from the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and four from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department) were shot and killed in the incident. Three of the slain police officers were members of the task force and the other was a member of the police station.
Two of the slain task force members, Sam Poloche and Alden Elliott, had been with the state Department of Adult Corrections for 14 years, the department said in a statement. According to the state Department of Corrections, Poloche is survived by his wife and two children. Elliot was married and had one child. Both were confirmed dead at the hospital.
“They loved their jobs and were passionate about their role in protecting our communities,” the statement said. “These officers died as heroes and committed themselves to the ultimate in service to our nation.” “I made a sacrifice,” he added.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks Jr., 48, of Mooresville, North Carolina, was killed in Monday's shooting, the department said in a statement. Weeks, her husband and father of four children, was a 13-year veteran of the sheriff's service.
After several hours at the hospital, Joshua Eyer, a six-year veteran of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, succumbed to his injuries. Iyer is married and has a 3-year-old son.
“He fought for several hours and succumbed to his injuries this evening surrounded by his wife and family,” Jennings wrote on X. “I am deeply grateful for his courage, service, and ultimate sacrifice. He will never be forgotten, and we” are forever indebted. ”
Neighbors recall gunfire, massive police response
Sein Chown, 54, had just left his home just after 1 p.m. That's when her deputies forced their way into her front yard and hid behind a powder blue Honda sedan.
As gunshots began echoing in the yard of the two-story house next door, Chown began livestreaming from his iPhone to Facebook.
Chown said he saw an officer shot from behind a brick house, then another officer shot, and heard frantic cries for help. He said two women ran out of the home, another man fled, and authorities contacted two officers who crashed their armored vehicle into a backyard and collapsed.
“They're doing what they have to do to get the officer who was shot,” he said, looking at the twisted fence and deep ruts left next to the vehicle. Officers then used it to tear down the front of the house to launch the drone “I've seen a lot of movies and I knew what was going to happen.”
– Trevor Hughes
Records show the suspect had a long criminal history.
According to state records, Hughes was convicted and served time for multiple felonies, including trespassing, eluding police on a high-speed chase and possession of a firearm.
In 2010, he was convicted of felony trespassing in connection with an incident the previous year and sentenced to six months in prison, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections.
In June 2012, he was arrested on suspicion of speeding to evade arrest. At the time, he was the subject of several warrants. To avoid his arrest, the suspect turned him around near the checkpoint and fled at high speed, beginning a chase at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour, WCNC reported.
According to the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections, Hughes was convicted of felon escape and possession of a firearm in October 2012 and was released in September 2013.
He was arrested in May 2021 on multiple charges, including possession of marijuana paraphernalia and evading arrest in a motor vehicle, according to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office. Records show he was released the same day.
Biden: “These are heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice.''
President Joe Biden issued a statement Monday calling the officers “heroes” and saying he and First Lady Jill Biden will pray for their families and the officers as they recover. The president also spoke with Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles to express his condolences and support for the community.
“These are heroes who went into dangerous situations and made the ultimate sacrifice to protect us,” the president said in a statement. “We mourn for them and their loved ones, and we pray for the recovery of these brave injured officers.”
Biden added that more steps must be taken to protect law enforcement, saying, “That means funding law enforcement so they can do their jobs and keep us safe.” “And that means taking additional action to combat the scourge of gun violence.”
Contributed by: Jonathan Limehouse, Thao Nguyen, Michael Loria, USA TODAY
