A neighbor filmed a terrifying shootout between Charlotte police and two gunmen in a flurry of bullets that left four officers dead and four others wounded.
A livestream shared by Saing Chhoeun on Facebook shows two heavily armed police officers taking cover behind a vehicle as they engage in the shootout on Monday.
The video begins with the terrified neighbor apparently locking himself outside his house and asking someone to let him in.
The officers repeatedly ask the neighbor to enter the house, but he informs them that he cannot because he does not have the keys.
The shooting occurred while four officers were serving a warrant against felon Terry Clark Hughes, who was wanted for possession of a firearm and shot dead in the shooting.
Charlotte Police Officer Joshua Eyer died Monday night. He was one of four officers killed.
Officer Samuel ‘Sam’ Polche (left) and Officer William ‘Alden’ Elliot (right) were killed Monday night in a shooting at a home in Charlotte, North Carolina. Both worked for the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections.
Samuel ‘Sam’ Polche, William ‘Alden’ Elliot and Charlotte Police Officer Joshua Eyer died Monday following the horrific shooting while attempting to serve the court order. Both Polche and Elliot were officials with the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections working with the United States Marshal’s office.
The US marshal killed in the attack has not been identified.
Some of the officers who responded to the Charlotte neighborhood to rescue the first wave of downed officers were injured when a second shooter began shooting at them. That shooter opened fire after killing the wanted man, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said.
“As (the officers) approached Hughes, they were met with gunfire and returned fire, striking Hughes, who was found dead in a yard,” Jennings said.
Officers then received “additional shots” from inside the residence, but it is still unclear which bullets hit which officers and how many officers were injured in total.
Chhoeun also shared images of the material damage left by the shooting.
The front of the offender’s house is seen above after the shooting.
Four deputies died after a U.S. Marshals task force serving a warrant against a felon wanted for possession of a firearm was shot at.
The identity of the second shooter is also unclear as Charlotte police continue their investigation into the horrific shooting, but they have stated that a woman and a teenager, 17, who were found in the home after the shooting are being questioned.
“Today we lost some heroes who were simply trying to keep our community safe,” Jennings said at a news conference.
After a three-hour standoff, the home in suburban Charlotte was vandalized. Armored vehicles crashed into it, tearing out windows and entire doors that were left broken. Several armored vehicles were parked in the yards, some with tree branches hanging from them.
The wanted suspect fired on the U.S. Marshals Task Force as they approached the home and the man was killed in the front yard, Jennings said.
Multiple police vehicles responded to the Charlotte neighborhood.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings speaks at a news conference.
A second person then fired at the officers from inside the home where a high-powered rifle was found, Jennings added.
A woman and a 17-year-old boy were found in the house after the confrontation. The two are being questioned, Jennings said.
The Marshal’s Service confirmed that one of its agents was murdered.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Joshua Eyer died a few hours later at the hospital, Jennings said. Eyer was named the force’s officer of the month for April a few weeks ago, the chief said.
“He certainly gave his life and dedicated it to protecting our citizens,” Jennings said.
Another member of the task force, made up of federal agents and other officers from across the region, was injured.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles chokes up while speaking at a press conference.
Three other Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers who responded to the scene were shot while attempting to rescue the wounded officers.
Neighbors said the shooting lasted several minutes.
WSOC-TV said its helicopter captured an armored vehicle driving through yards and knocking over recycling bins before officers removed a person with blood on his shirt and then loaded him into an ambulance.
After the house was cleared, the helicopter pilot said he couldn’t show the front yard of the house because the scene was too graphic and disturbing.
“A lot of the questions that need to be answered, we don’t even know what they are right now,” Jennings said, somberly briefing reporters less than four hours after the shooting.
“We need to fully understand why this occurred and also defend the integrity of the investigation.”
President Joe Biden reacted to the shooting on Tuesday, releasing a statement on X.
The Democrat said: ‘Yesterday, four brave law enforcement officers, including a Deputy US Marshal, were killed in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the line of duty.
‘They are heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice and threw themselves into danger to protect us. We cry for them and their loved ones. And we pray for the recovery of the brave officers who were injured.
‘To the families of those we lost: Jill and I, and all Americans, we are here to support you. We will always be here for you.’