At least three police officers were killed in a shooting Monday afternoon while attempting to serve a warrant in Charlotte, North Carolina, police said. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings announced at a news conference that one suspect was killed in a shootout with police.
The U.S. Marshals Service’s Fugitive Task Force, made up of personnel from multiple agencies, was attempting to execute the warrant.
Jennings told reporters that a convicted felon in east Charlotte was the person in possession of the firearm when the shooting began.
As the officer approached the person at the residence, he was struck by gunfire and then returned fire, striking the person, Jennings said. The man was later pronounced dead in the front yard.
As officers approached the person, more shots were fired from inside the residence and a long standoff began, Jennings said.
After the standoff ended, two people were found inside the residence and taken to the police station as persons of interest, Jennings said. Investigators were trying to determine what happened inside the residence.
A total of eight officers were shot, Jennings said. The sheriff’s department said the deputy was killed.
Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers were shot, one in critical condition, Jennings said. Police said on social media that the other injured officer was a worker at an aid agency.
“Today is an absolutely tragic day for the city of Charlotte and for law enforcement,” Jennings said.
AP Photo/Nell Redmond
Tyler Wilson told CBS affiliate WBTV that he was working from home when he heard voices calling for police to come from the house next door.
“After that it was just chaos,” Wilson told the station. “Shots were ringing out left and right. We had SWAT and U.S. Marshals set up a sniper in the bedroom. An officer was walking through the house with drugs in his arm. I wondered if he had been shot. I don’t know if he was hurt.”It was a shootout for about 30 minutes, which was pretty crazy. ”
Video posted on social media showed more than a dozen police cars and two officers at the scene.
Steven Switzer
