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CHARLOTTE, N.C – Four police officers were killed and four others injured in a shootout while executing a warrant on a felon for firearm possession in a North Carolina home on Monday, according to police.Â
Additional officers, responding to aid those initially downed, were wounded when a second shooter opened fire as they arrived at the Charlotte neighborhood after the primary suspect had been neutralized, stated Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings.Â
“Today we lost some heroes who were simply trying to keep our community safe,” Jennings remarked during a news conference.
After a three-hour standoff in a suburban Charlotte neighborhood, armored vehicles breached a home, tearing off windows and doorways.Â
The intense operation left the scene with several armored vehicles scattered across yards, some adorned with dangling tree branches. Inside the home, one suspect was found dead, while a woman and a 17-year-old male were taken into custody and are currently being questioned, according to Jennings.
The Marshal’s Service confirmed one of its agents was killed. Two officers from the state Department of Adult Correction also were killed, said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. The governor was in Charlotte and was speaking to the families of the officers killed and hurt. Their names have not been released.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Joshua Eyer died a few hours later at the hospital, Jennings said. Eyer was named the officer of the month for the force for April a few weeks ago, the chief said.
“He certainty gave his life and dedicated his life to protecting our citizens,” Jennings said.
Another member of the task force, comprising federal agents and regional officers, sustained injuries.Â
Three Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers were also shot as they attempted a rescue operation for the wounded task force member.Â
According to neighbors, the sound of gunfire persisted for several minutes. WSOC-TV reported that their helicopter filmed an armored vehicle maneuvering through residential yards, displacing recycling bins in its path. The footage also showed officers assisting a bloodied individual into an ambulance.
Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools were temporarily placed on lockdown during the afternoon dismissal time, which was later lifted in the late afternoon, according to the district.Â
Police advised people to avoid the area and requested that residents stay indoors until it was safe to emerge.Â
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the incident and has spoken with Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, offering his condolences and support to the community.Â
The last U.S. Marshal to be fatally shot in the line of duty occurred in November 2018, when Chase White was killed in Tucson, Arizona, by an individual accused of stalking local law enforcement, the agency reported.Â
The Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, based in Charlotte, consists of 70 federal, state, and local agencies working collaboratively to locate and apprehend fugitive suspects.
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