Three police officers were killed following a shootout near a domestic residence in an eastern suburb of , the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) said on Monday.
One of the law enforcement officers struck by gunfire was in critical condition, police said. A total of eight law enforcement officers were shot.
A person who is suspected to have fired at the officers was pronounced dead at the scene, while two further shooters have been taken in for questioning, police said.
“Tragically, there were three members of the US Marshals Task Force who were pronounced deceased. Four CMPD officers were shot, one of whom is in critical condition in hospital, fighting for his life,” police chief Johnny Jenkings told a press conference.
He called it “a tragic day for the city of Charlotte and for the profession of law enforcement.”
Charlotte shooting: What do we know?
Officers had been attempting to serve a warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon when they were fired upon from the house, Jenkins said.
They returned fire, and the suspect was killed in the front yard. The officers then took gunfire from inside of the house, leading to a three-hour stand-off before it was cleared by a SWAT team with the help of armored vehicles a couple of hours later.
A woman and a 17-year-old male were found in the home along with a high-powered rifle, said Jenkins.
“Today we lost some heroes who were out to just keep our community safe. This is an example of what we try to tell people every single day: that when we put on this uniform, we don’t have any guarantees that we’ll return home,” he said.
Local resident Kiashia Williams said she was driving home when she heard several shots a few seconds apart.
“Ambulances, police and everything everywhere just started rushing down,” she told the Associated Press news agency as she waited in her car to be allowed to return home.
Four local schools were temporarily placed on lockdown, but that was lifted late afternoon, district authorities said.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said he was in contact with law enforcement in Charlotte and offered any state resources to help.
mf/rm (AP, Reuters)
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