Three officers from a U.S. Marshals Task Force executing an arrest warrant for a felon wanted for gun possession were killed and five other officers were injured in a shooting Monday at their North Carolina home , the police said.
The officers were first shot by the wanted suspect as they approached the suburban Charlotte home and killed him in the front yard, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny said Jennings.
A second person then fired at officers from inside the home where a high-powered rifle was found, Jennings said.
A 17-year-old woman and man were found in the home after a three-hour standoff in which armored vehicles crashed into the suburban home in a tree-lined neighborhood and tore off doors and windows. Windows.
Both are being questioned, Jennings said.
“Today is an absolutely tragic day for the city of Charlotte and for the law enforcement profession,” Jennings said, according to WRAL. “Today we lost heroes who simply wanted to keep our community safe.”
Three officers from a U.S. Marshals Task Force executing an arrest warrant for a felon wanted for gun possession were killed in a shooting at a Charlotte home.
The officers were first shot by the wanted suspect as they approached the suburban Charlotte home and killed him in the front yard.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings speaks at a press conference
Another member of the task force, made up of federal agents and other officers from across the region, was injured.
The Marshal’s Service confirmed that one of the agents was killed and did not release his name. The agencies where the other two agents worked were not released.
Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg officers who responded to the scene were also shot while attempting to rescue the injured officers. One remains in critical condition, Jennings said.
Neighbors said the shooting continued for several minutes after the shooting began.
WSOC-TV reported that an armored vehicle drove through yards and knocked over recycling bins before officers removed a person with blood on their shirt who was then loaded into an ambulance.
Once the house was cleared, the station’s helicopter pilot said he couldn’t show the lawn in front of the house because the scene was too eerie.
Several armored vehicles sat on nearby lawns and driveways in an older suburban neighborhood, on a street lined with trees and brick houses.
A broken window and torn blinds were in a street and an entire door was propped up against one of the vehicles.
Many area roads, including Interstate 77, were closed so ambulances could get to hospitals more quickly.
A second person then shot at officers from inside the home where a high-powered rifle was found.
A woman and a 17-year-old man were found in the home after a three-hour standoff in which armored vehicles crashed into the suburban home.
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Television images showed ambulances speeding towards hospitals with several vehicles equipped with sirens in front and behind them.
Kiashia Williams was driving home when she heard several gunshots spaced seconds apart.
“Ambulances and police and everyone everywhere started rushing,” Williams said as she waited in her car to be allowed to go home and check on her daughter, who broadcast what she seen on social networks.
Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools were placed on lockdown around dismissal in the afternoon, but that was lifted late in the afternoon, the district said.
Police urged people to stay away from the area and asked residents to stay home.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said he has been in contact with law enforcement in Charlotte and has offered all state resources to help.
The last marshal killed in the line of duty was in November 2018. Chase White was shot and killed in Tucson, Arizona, by a man wanted for stalking local law enforcement, the agency said.
Charlotte Fire Capt. Brian Cunningham, right, hugs Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings during a news conference.
A Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer carries a gun as he walks through the neighborhood where an officer-involved shooting occurred in Charlotte
Several law enforcement vehicles intervene in the neighborhood
The Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force is headquartered in Charlotte and includes 70 federal, state and local agencies.
Fugitive task forces are collaborations between agencies to search for and arrest crime suspects.
In six years, the regional task force has apprehended more than 8,900 fugitives, the U.S. Marshals Service said on its website.
In March 2007, two Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers were killed responding to a domestic dispute between a person not directly involved in the fight.
Demeatrius Antonio Montgomery is serving a life sentence for the murders of Officers Jeffrey Shelton and Sean Clark.
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