Topline
In a Tuesday press conference, police gave updates on the four law enforcement officers who were injured and identified the four officers who were shot and killed Monday while attempting to serve a warrant in east Charlotte.
The crime scene at 5525 Galway Dr. where law enforcement officers were serving a warrant for ... [+]
Key Facts
Two officers who were killed—Samuel Poloche and William Elliott—were with the North Carolina Department of Corrections, while Joshua Eyer was with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and Thomas Weeks was a deputy U.S. Marshal, CMPD chief Johnny Jennings said Tuesday.
The other four officers who were injured during the shooting were all with CMPD: Officer Christopher Tolley is the only one still hospitalized and is in stable condition, and officers Michael Giglio, Jack Blowers and Justin Campbell were all released yesterday.
Investigators with the Charlotte police said they recovered two firearms—one AR-15 rifle and one handgun—and ammo from the crime scene, which was a residence where the officers were met with gunfire while trying to serve a warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Officials said there were two other people in the home with the suspect, and when police approached the body of the suspect—identified as Terry Clark Hughes Jr., who was killed in the shooting—they were met with more gunfire, though Jennings on Tuesday said he was no longer sure there was a second shooter, CBS News reported.
Twelve CMPD officers in total fired their weapons during the shootout, the department said Tuesday, and all 12 are on standard administrative leave while the investigation continues.
The two other people in the home, both unidentified women, are cooperating with the investigation and are not suspects or persons of interest as of Tuesday morning.
Crucial Quote
“Officers responded quickly and bravely yesterday,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Tuesday. “Dangerous assignments are part of the job. They step up and do it anyway to protect our communities and families.”
What We Don’t Know
Who bought the guns that Hughes Jr. used in the shootout. Officers are looking for the purchaser and considering bringing federal charges against them, CNN reported, citing an internal law enforcement memo.
Big Number
132. That’s how many mass shootings there have been so far in 2024, the latest of which was the Charlotte shooting. This year is tracking slightly below last year in terms of mass shootings—there were 174 mass shootings by April 29, 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which tracks gun violence incidents in the U.S.
Key Background
The officers injured and killed were part of 16 agencies that made up the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, which was serving warrants Monday, officials said. President Joe Biden responded to the shooting Monday night, saying the officers were “heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice,” and that more should be done to protect them. Biden then said police need to be funded“so they have the resources they need to do their jobs and keep us safe,” and called on Congress to “ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines” and pass other gun safety measures including “universal background checks and a national red flag law.”
