In one of the deadliest days for law enforcement in recent years, three members of a U.S. Marshals fugitive task force were shot and killed in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday as they tried to serve a warrant and were met by gunfire, the police said. Five other law enforcement officers were also shot, and one was in critical condition Monday evening. The suspect they were seeking was also killed.
Around 1:30 p.m., members of the task force went to the 5000 block of Galway Drive to serve a warrant on a person for being a felon in possession of a firearm, Johnny Jennings, the chief of police for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, said at a news conference Monday evening.
When they approached the person, the shooter fired at them. The officers returned fire and struck the person, who was later pronounced dead in the front yard of the residence. The police did not release the name of the shooter or any of the law enforcement officers.
As police approached the shooter, Chief Jennings told reporters, the officers were met with more gunfire from inside the home and that two more people were inside. They were both taken to the station as “persons of interest.” Chief Jennings identified one of them as a 17-year-old.
“Today is an absolute tragic day for the city of Charlotte and for the profession of law enforcement,” Mr. Jennings said. “Today, we lost some heroes that are out simply trying to keep our community safe.”
In all, four members of the task force were shot, three of whom died. The U.S. Marshals Service confirmed that one of its deputy marshals was among those killed. The affiliations of the other two who died were not released. The task force is made up of officers from multiple agencies.
Four members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department were also shot and injured. One of them was in critical condition, the police said.
The authorities shut down the city’s Shannon Park neighborhood, east of downtown, on Monday afternoon in order to more easily move victims to hospitals, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department wrote on social media.
Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina said on social media that he was in contact with law enforcement agencies and offered the help of state resources.
Vi Lyles, the mayor of Charlotte, said at the news conference: “These are people that care deeply about what they’ve done for a profession. And now today, we have to say to them how much we are grateful for what they have done.”
Glenn Thrush contributed reporting and Kirsten Noyes contributed reserach.
This is a developing story.
