Three members of a U.S. Marshals fugitive task force were shot and killed in Charlotte, North Carolina on Monday when gunfire erupted as they were trying to serve a warrant, authorities said. Five other law enforcement officers were wounded, with one in critical condition on Monday evening.
The suspect the officers were pursuing was also killed in the shootout. That person was not immediately identified.
During a news conference at which Johnny Jennings, the chief of police for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, laid out the timeline of events, he said that four of the officers shot had been task force members. Three died. The other four officers shot were members of Jennings’ police department, he said.
The task force was fired upon around 1:30 p.m. as it approached an individual to serve them a warrant for being a felon in possession of a firearm, the chief said. The individual began shooting at them, with law enforcement returning fire, striking them in the front yard of their residence.
As officers approached the property, more shots were fired from inside the home. After a three-hour, “long standoff,” Jennings said, two individuals were found inside. The pair, a woman and a 17-year-old, were taken in for questioning as “persons of interest.”
The investigation remained ongoing on Monday night.
“Today is an absolute tragic day for the city of Charlotte and for the profession of law enforcement,” Jennings said. “Today, we lost some heroes.”
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) said he was in contact with law enforcement regarding the “tragic” shooting, and had offered local authorities state resources.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said she was “deeply saddened” by the incident, and asked that “all Charlotteans” keep the involved officers and their families “in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time.”
The Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, partnered with more than 70 law enforcement agencies, is based in Charlotte. It has successfully apprehended nearly 9,000 fugitives since its inception in 2018, it has said.
Jennings said he couldn’t recall a day like Monday in his more than 30 years in the department.
“To me, it’s the most tragic one that I’ve been involved in,” he said.
