A Charlotte police officer killed in a shooting that left three other US Marshals task force members dead outside a North Carolina home has been identified.
Officer Joshua Eyer died Monday night from his injuries sustained in the shooting. The three other law enforcement officials killed have not been identified.
The officers were serving a felon wanted for possessing a firearm Monday at the home, police said. The officers were first shot at by the wanted suspect as they approached the suburban home in Charlotte. The cops were able to shoot dead the felon in the front yard, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said.
A second person then fired on officers from inside the home where a high-powered rifle was found, Jennings said.
Some of the injured cops were trying to help rescue their fallen officers when they were wounded.
A woman and a 17-year-old boy were found in the home after a three-hour standoff that included armored vehicles crashing into the suburban home in a tree-lined neighborhood and tearing off doorways and windows.
The two are being questioned, Jennings said.
‘Today is an absolute tragic day for the city of Charlotte and for the profession of law enforcement,’ Jennings said, according to WRAL. ‘Today we lost some heroes that are out to just simply try to keep our community safe.’
Officer Joshua Eyer died Monday night from his injuries sustained in the shooting. He was one of four cops killed outside a North Carolina home on Monday
Three officers on a U.S. Marshals Task Force serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were also killed in a shooting at a Charlotte home
The officers were first shot at by the wanted suspect as they approached the suburban home in Charlotte and they killed him in the front yard
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings speaks at a press conference
One other member of the task force, which is made up of federal agents and other officers from across the region, was injured.
The Marshal’s Service confirmed one of the agents were killed and two were from the NC Department of Adult Corrections.
Neighbors said gunfire continued for several minutes after the shooting erupted.
WSOC-TV showed from a helicopter the incredible scene that showed an armored vehicle driving through yards and knocked over recycling bins before officers removed a person with blood on their shirt who was then loaded into an ambulance.
After the home was cleared, the station’s helicopter pilot said he couldn’t show the front lawn of the home because the scene was too disturbing.
Several armored vehicles were on nearby lawns and driveways of the older suburban neighborhood of a tree-lined street with brick homes.
A shattered window, blinds torn, was in a street and a entire doorway was leaning against of one of the vehicles.
Many roads in the area, including Interstate 77, were closed so ambulances could get to hospitals faster.
A second person then fired on officers from inside the home where a high-powered rifle was found
A woman and a 17-year-old male were found in the home after a three-hour standoff that included armored vehicles crashing into the suburban home
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles gets choked up as she speaks at a press conference
TV footage showed ambulances speeding to hospitals with several vehicles with sirens on both in front and behind them.
Kiashia Williams was driving home when she heard several shots separated by a few seconds.
‘Ambulances, police and everything everywhere just started rushing down,’ said Williams as she waited in her car to be allowed to go home and check on her daughter, who broadcast what she saw on social media.
Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools were placed on lockdown around afternoon dismissal, but that was lifted in the late afternoon, the district said.
Police urged people to stay away from the neighborhood and asked residents to remain inside their homes.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said he was in contact with law enforcement in Charlotte and offered any state resources to help.
Charlotte fire department captain Brian Cunningham, right, hugs Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings at a press conference
A Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer carries a gun as he walks in the neighborhood where an officer-involved shooting took place in Charlotte
Multiple law enforcement vehicles respond in the neighborhood
None of the officers killed or injures have been named.
A Gofundme has been launched attempting to raise $250,000 to help the victim’s families.
‘What began as an attempt to apprehend a convicted felon in possession of a firearm quickly spiraled into chaos when the suspect opened fire on the Marshals and local Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officers,’ the page read.
‘The initial suspect was swiftly neutralized, but another individual within the residence seized the weapon and continued the barrage of gunfire on the officers, resulting in a harrowing exchange of bullet.’
The posting continued: ‘In response to this devastating event, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to provide support for those affected, offering a beacon of hope amidst the darkness of this tragedy.
‘As the investigation unfolds and the names of the fallen are confirmed, the community stands together in solidarity, determined to honor the bravery of those who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.’
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said he was in contact with law enforcement in Charlotte and offered any state resources to help
A Gofundme has been launched attempting to raise $250,000 to help the victim officers’ families
The last marshal shot and killed in the line of duty was in November 2018. Chase White was shot in Tucson, Arizona, by a man wanted for stalking local law enforcement officers, the agency said.
The Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force is headquartered in Charlotte with 70 federal, state and local agencies.
Fugitive task forces are collaborations between agencies to find and arrest suspects in crimes.
In six years, the regional task force has apprehend 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 by someone not directly involved in the fight.
Demeatrius Antonio Montgomery is serving a life sentence in the killings of officers Jeffrey Shelton and Sean Clark.
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