April 29 (UPI) — Three U.S. Marshals were killed and five police officers were injured Monday in a shooting incident in a residential area of Charlotte, N.C., authorities said.
One of the injured Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers is in critical condition after the incident in which a total of eight law-enforcement officers were shot, Chief Johnny Jennings told reporters.
Along with the slain officers, a suspect is dead and two “persons of interest” have been arrested in connection with the shootings, he said.
The incident began when a task force headed by U.S. Marshals went to a home in the East Charlotte neighborhood, located about 6 miles east of downtown, to serve an arrest warrant on a charge of illegal possession of a firearm by a felon.
When they arrived, they were met by gunfire, including rounds coming from a high-powered rifle inside the home, which killed the Marshals, Jennings said.
A suspect was shot dead on the front lawn of the home, he said, adding that police took two people from the residence into custody, including a woman and a 17-year-old.
Jennings said he could not immediately confirm if the woman and 17-year-old were being considered murder suspects.
“We are very early in the investigation,” he said. “CMPD will lead this investigation, we still have a lot to uncover, a lot of questions that are not answered right now.”
The chief praised the “bravery of our officers that responded to the scene, knowing that they’re going into gunfire is what I’ve been saying for many years, is in the face of danger. our people step up.”
A tearful Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said she had spoken to the White House, the city’s congressional delegation and state legislative leaders in the wake of the tragedy.
“We’ve lost three people,” she said. “They gave us the opportunity to be in a safe place and they lost their lives.”
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper issued condolences to “the families and co-workers of officers in today’s brutal attack, including two state Department of Adult Correction officers working with the US Marshal’s Task Force who were shot and killed.”
Nearby residents described heavy gunfire and the feeling they had been in a war zone.
“There was a litany of gunfire, just an enormous amount,” an unnamed neighbor told The Charlotte Observer, while another told the newspaper, “All of a sudden it sounded like Vietnam out there.”
The first indication of trouble came at 1 p.m. EDT when the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department urged people to stay away from an “active investigation” scene in the North Tryon Division.
Later they indicated that “numerous” law enforcement personnel were struck by gunfire in the 5000 block of Galway Drive, a residential area located in the eastern part of the city.
Roads in that part of Charlotte were blocked to allow ambulance traffic to quickly access the area, police said.
A media briefing will be held “as soon as the situation stabilizes,” they added.
