CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Four law enforcement officers were killed, and four other officers were wounded by a suspect opening fire in a warrant-related gunfight in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday afternoon.
U.S. Marshal Service Director Ronald Coleman on Tuesday named Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks Jr., 48, of Mooresville, North Carolina, as the fourth officer killed in the line of duty at about 1:30 p.m. Monday. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officer Joshua Eyer and North Carolina Department of Adult Correction officers Sam Poloche and William “Alden” Elliott were also killed.
The shooting began when a U.S. Marshals Task Force attempted to serve a warrant for firearm possession by a convicted felon. During a Monday evening press briefing, authorities said the recipient of the warrant was the one who initially opened fire. That suspect, who was later identified as 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes, Jr., was killed in the shootout, police said.
Hughes was also wanted for two counts of felony flee to elude out of Lincoln County, North Carolina, according to Charlotte police. Police believe two shooters may have been involved. They said two persons of interest, a 17-year-old and a woman, were taken to the police station for further investigation.
(L-R) Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks, Investigator William “Alden” Elliott, Police Officer Joshua Eyer and Investigator Samuel “Sam” Poloche were killed in a police shootout in Charlotte, North Carolina on Monday, April 29, 2024. (U.S. Marshals Service via AP/NCDAC/Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department/Sean Rayford via AP/Getty Images)
3 LOUISIANA OFFICERS WOUNDED BY GUNFIRE IN STANDOFF WITH SHOOTING SUSPECT, POLICE SAY
At least four officers were killed when a convicted felon opened fire on them, officials said. (Audrey Conklin/Fox News Digital)
“We have two people of interest at the police station that are being questioned right now,” Police Chief Johnny Jennings said during the presser. “And we have confirmed that the individual that was set up that we were serving the warrant on was the individual who fired the initial shots and was deceased in the front yard at the end of all of this.”
Three officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force – one deputy and two task force officers – were killed in the shootout. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) confirmed to Fox News Digital that an officer from its department also died from his injuries later Monday evening.
A total of eight law enforcement officers were shot. Three CMPD officers and a U.S. Marshals Task Force officer were injured and are still recovering from their wounds.
At a press conference before the fourth death was announced, Jennings called the incident “the most tragic one that I’ve been involved in.”
“I’ve been with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for 32 years. I can’t remember an incident where three law enforcement officers were [injured] and also three that were killed in the same incident,” he said.
The CMPD initially reported that “numerous” officers were shot at the scene in the 5000 block of Galway Drive, which is in the Shannon Park neighborhood.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said four law enforcement officers were killed, and four others were wounded in a shootout involving a U.S. Marshals Task Force on Monday. Chief Johnny Jennings (pictured here) called the officers “heros.” (Audrey Conklin/Fox News Digital)
All officers who were injured were transported to hospitals. At 2:23 p.m., police confirmed that a SWAT team was on the scene and urged residents to stay inside their homes.
“Avoid the area,” the police department said. “Many roads are closed for faster ambulance transport. Please cooperate with authorities.”
MEMPHIS COP-KILLING SUSPECT IDENTIFIED AS OFFICIALS CALL FOR TOUGHER SENTENCES
On Monday afternoon, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper confirmed that his office was aware of the shooting.
“I am in contact with law enforcement concerning the tragic shooting in the Charlotte area, and we have offered state resources to help,” Cooper wrote on X.
Police urged residents in the 5000 block of Galway Drive to stay inside. (Audrey Conklin/Fox News Digital)
Former FBI special agent in charge and Fox News contributor Nicole Parker spoke to Fox News Digital about the situation.
“These officers on this U.S. Marshals Task Force are the best and the brightest and the bravest. Each day when you walk out the door for work, you understand you may never make it home,” she explained.
“I cannot say it enough – Americans need to back the blue… They aren’t making huge sums of money, but their sacrifices are infinite and priceless.”
Parker said violence against law enforcement officers must not be tolerated.
“We must restore full support, respect and honor to those who courageously wear the badge every day and fearlessly carry out their duties,” she said.
Mayor of Charlotte Vi Lyles speaks to the press after three U.S. Marshals were fatally shot, and five other officers were wounded in a shootout on Monday, April 29, 2024. (Audrey Conklin/Fox News Digital)
Fox News Digital reached out to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for more information.
Fox News Digital’s Brooke Curto and Pilar Arias contributed to this report.
Andrea Margolis is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. You can follow her on X at @andrea_vacch or send story tips to [email protected].
