Four officers were fatally shot as a U.S. marshals task force served a search warrant at a home in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday, officials said. A suspected gunman was also dead.
A marshal and two local officers working with the fugitive task force were killed in the gunfire around 1:30 p.m. Gov. Roy Cooper said “two state Department of Adult Correction officials” had died.
The city’s police chief announced Monday evening that Joshua Eyer, an injured Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer, had also died.
“Last month I was in this room to congratulate Officer Eyer on being named Officer of the Month for April,” said Police Chief Johnny Jennings. “And he certainly dedicated his life and gave his life to serve our citizens.”
The secretary of the state’s Department of Adult Corrections identified two of the other people killed as Samuel Poloche and William “Alden” Elliott, both of whom had been with the department for 14 years and were part of the marshals’ task force.
A total of eight law enforcement officers were shot.
The deadly violence occurred when a fugitive task force served an arrest warrant on a suspect in possession of a firearm belonging to a convicted felon.
Jennings said the fallen officers were “heroes just trying to keep our community safe.”
As the task force attempted to execute the warrant, the subject of the warrant, who was not publicly identified, began shooting with a high-powered rifle, Jennings said. Task force members returned fire and killed the suspect in the front yard of the home, he said.
A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department sergeant was part of the task force but was not struck by gunfire, Jennings said. The sergeant called for backup, and that’s when the four responding Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers were shot, Jennings said.
Police were eventually able to clear the house, Jennings said. Two people inside, one of whom was 17 years old, were arrested as persons of interest.
Officials believe two people shot at law enforcement officers, Jennings said.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, speaking at Monday’s news conference, said the community must honor the deputy marshals who lost their lives and the injured officers.
“These are people who care deeply about what they have done for our profession, and now we need to say to them how much we are grateful for what they have done,” Lyles said. “Three people lost their lives today. And the most I can ask of the community is that we honor and respect them for all the work they’ve done.”
Cooper, the governor, called the incident “tragic” and said the state is providing assistance.
He later offered his condolences to the families and colleagues involved in the ‘brutal attack’.
President Joe Biden said Monday night of the slain officers: “They are heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice and put us in harm’s way to keep us safe.”
“We mourn them and their loved ones. And we pray for the recovery of the brave officers who were injured,” the president said in a statement. He also called for more funding for law enforcement and called on Congress to do more to combat gun violence.
Eyer, the CMPD officer whose death was announced Monday evening, is survived by his wife and a 3-year-old son, the police chief said.
Poloche is survived by a wife and two children, and Elliot and his wife were parents of one child, Secretary of State for Adult Corrections Todd Ishee said in a statement.
CORRECTION (April 29, 2024, 6:40 PM ET): An earlier version of this article misstated the number of U.S. marshals killed. One marshal was fatally shot and two local officers working with the marshals’ task force were also killed.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
