Charlotte NEWS: Three law enforcement officers have been fatally shot and five others were wounded while serving a warrant in Charlotte, North Carolina, officials say.
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Charlotte News ( North Carolina )
Three officers on a U.S. Marshals Task Force were killed and five other law enforcement officers were injured Monday after being shot while attempting to serve a warrant in Charlotte, North Carolina, authorities said.
Around 1:30 p.m., members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force were attempting to serve a warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon at a suburban home in Charlotte, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) Chief Johnny Jennings said during a news conference. The suspect opened fire at the officers with a “high-powered rifle” as they approached the residence, according to Jennings.
Shots were still ringing out more than two hours after the attack began on Monday in a residential area in the east of the city.
Residents were asked to shelter in place and nearby streets were closed to facilitate ambulance rescues. Several nearby schools were placed on lockdown during the siege.
On X, formerly Twitter, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department asked people to “steer clear of the area”.
“Residents stay inside of your homes,” they said. “Multiple victims transported to nearby hospitals.”
According to local network WSOC-TV, one US Marshal is among the dead law enforcement officers.
The attack ended when police stormed the home on Galway Drive.
Two other people who were inside the home with a suspect were being questioned, said police.
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.”
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said in a statement she was “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,” she added.
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‘Residents no longer need to shelter in place’
After the standoff, police were able to clear the home and confirmed that two people were inside. Police also gave residents the all-clear about three hours after telling them to “steer clear of the area.”
“Residents no longer need to shelter in place,” police said.
By late Monday afternoon, police were questioning the two other people in the home, according to the department. Both individuals were brought to the police station as persons of interest, and now investigators are trying to determine what “exactly occurred inside of the residence,” Jennings said.
CMPD and other law enforcement agencies will remain at the shooting scene to conduct an investigation, the department said. As a result, some roads in the neighborhood will remain closed, the post added.
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Charlotte officials, religious leaders offer condolences to CMPD officers
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles addressed the shooting in a post on X saying: “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,” Lyles said in the post.
North Carolina Bishop Rev. Connie Shelton offered comfort in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, which occurred about 20 minutes from the convention center where the United Methodist Church General Conference is gathering.
“We are mindful of the violence in the world, desperation, pain and how desperation then inflicts plain on others,” Shelton said. “Oh God, in the midst of the chaos right now, we ask that your spirit will bring clarity and order in the midst of pain.” (The New York Times)
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