CNN
—
Four police officers, including a deputy U.S. marshal and two officers from a local task force, were killed in a shooting while they were executing a warrant at a home in Charlotte, North Carolina, authorities said.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings announced Monday night that a total of eight law enforcement officers were shot and killed in the incident. He called the shooting “the most tragic” of his 32-year law enforcement career.
Members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force were serving a warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in Charlotte’s Shannon Park neighborhood, Jennings said.
Officers fired back fire from a “high-powered rifle” and shot and killed the suspect in the front yard of the home. Jennings said the task force is serving a warrant on the suspect.
“As officers approached, more shots were fired from inside the residence,” the police chief said.
Three members of the sheriff’s task force were shot and killed, Jennings said. One of the dead was a deputy marshal, the U.S. Marshals Service told CNN in a statement.
Two of the slain officers, Sam Poloche and Alden Elliott, worked for the state Department of Adult Corrections, said Department Director Todd Ishee. Both were veterans in his 14th year with the department. Poroche is survived by his wife and two children. Elliott is survived by his wife and one child.
North Carolina Adult Corrections Commissioner
Sam Polosh and Alden Elliott of the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections were among the four law enforcement officers killed in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Police said one of the fatally wounded officers, Joshua Eyer, died from his injuries “surrounded by his wife and family” after several hours of struggle. Jennings said at a news conference Monday night that the six-year CMPD veteran is survived by his wife and 3-year-old son.
“Officer Iyer is a six-year veteran of CMPD and we are truly grateful for his courage, service and ultimate sacrifice. He will never be forgotten and we are forever indebted.” Jennings posted on X.
“Just last month, I was in this very room celebrating Officer Eyer being named Officer of the Month,” Jennings said at a press conference. “He certainly gave his life and gave his life to serve his people.”
Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers were also shot and injured. One person is in critical condition and “fighting for his life,” Jennings said. The other police officers are said to be in stable condition.
Authorities identified the deceased suspect as 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes Jr. Hughes is wanted for possession of a firearm by a felon and is a fugitive from Lincoln County, North Carolina, on two felony charges, police said.
View this interactive content on CNN.com
Jennings said two “persons of interest” were being questioned by police. When authorities cordoned off the residence, a 17-year-old boy and a woman came out, Jennings said, but police could not confirm which of the two was the suspect.
“The investigation is at a very early stage,” he said. “CMPD will be leading this investigation, but we still have much to learn and many questions remain unanswered at this time.”
At least 98 police officers were shot and killed in the line of duty in the first three months of this year, according to the Fraternal Order of Police, an organization representing law enforcement officers in the United States. Ten of those officers died.
In 2023, 378 police officers were shot and killed in the line of duty, the highest number on record since the Fraternal Order of Police began tracking the data. The Fraternal Order of Police said the deaths included 46 police officers killed in gunfire and 20 officers killed in ambushes.
“While many people will look at this data and only see the numbers, we must remember that they represent heroes: fathers, mothers, sons and daughters,” said Fraternal Order of Police President. Patrick Yaws said after the data was released. “Violence on this scale against our nation’s police officers is horrific and unsustainable. It’s no wonder our profession is facing a recruitment and retention crisis.”
According to the Fraternal Order of Police, 331 police officers will be shot and killed in the line of duty in 2022, including 62 by gunfire and 32 by ambushes. According to the data, 346 police officers were shot and killed in the line of duty in the previous year, 63 of which were due to gunfire.
The increase in violence against police officers over the past few years reflects a broader increase in mass shootings and violent incidents in the United States since 2020.
Criminology experts such as Thomas Abt, a senior fellow at the Criminal Justice Council, have cited several potential explanations. The killing of George Floyd and the resulting heightened public distrust of police led to a surge in firearm sales and gun ownership.
Theories behind violent crimes vary, but the FBI is trying to piece together an explanation as to why some people attack police officers.
A 2016 report compiled in FBI documents released to law enforcement in May 2017 investigated 50 police shootings and found that the perpetrators’ two main motives were to avoid arrest. Desire (40%) and hatred of the police (28%). %), CNN previously reported.
The police chief said he cannot recall a worse incident in the Charlotte area.
“I don’t recall an incident where three law enforcement officers were killed, one was critically injured, and an additional (officer) was shot and injured in the same incident,” Jennings said.
The White House announced Monday that President Joe Biden spoke with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper after the shooting. Biden later released a statement calling the officers “heroes.”
“These are heroes who went into harm’s way and made the ultimate sacrifice to protect us,” the president said. “We mourn for them and their loved ones. And we pray for the recovery of these brave wounded officers.”
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said in a statement that he was “deeply saddened by today’s shooting incident involving Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers and U.S. Marshals.”
“I ask all Charlotte residents to keep them, the other injured officers, and their families in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time,” Lyles said.
in Post to Xthe U.S. Marshals Service said, “Our hearts are heavy tonight as we think of the lives shattered by today’s horrific shooting in Charlotte, North Carolina. We mourn the loss of a deputy and two task force officers. We are grateful for all the support and keep the families and colleagues of all the officers involved in our thoughts.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
