A total of eight law enforcement officers were shot in the incident, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said at a news conference Monday night, as quoted by CNN. He described the shooting as the most tragic he has faced in his 32-year career as a law enforcement officer.
The shooting occurred when members of the Fugitive Task Force were executing a warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The officers came under fire from a “high-powered rifle” and returned fire, fatally shooting the suspect in the backyard of the home. Jennings said the task force was trying to serve a warrant on that suspect.
“As officers approached, they received additional gunshots from inside the residence,” the police chief said.
Three members of the operative group were killed. Officials later confirmed that one of the dead was a US deputy police chief.
Two of the officers killed, Sam Poloche and Alden Elliott, worked for the state Department of Adult Corrections. Both were 14-year veterans of the department assigned to the task force.
Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers were also shot, one of whom is in critical condition and fighting for his life at the hospital. The condition of the other officers is stable.
Police said Monday night that one of the wounded officers, Joshua Eyer, had died.
President Joe Biden spoke with the governor after the shooting, the White House said Monday. Later, Mr. Biden issued a statement in which he called the officers heroes.
“They are heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice, rushing into danger to protect us,” the president said. – We mourn for them and their relatives. And we pray for the recovery of the wounded brave officers.”
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