3 U.S. marshals, 1 CMPD officer killed in east Charlotte shootout
8 law enforcement officers shot, as marshals tried to serve a warrant
Good evening. Today is Monday, April 29, 2024, and we’re coming to you with breaking news.
(This article was updated at 10:07 p.m. to reflect death of a CMPD officer, who was previously in critical condition.)
4 officers killed, 4 other officers shot; 1 suspect dead
Police Chief Johnny Jennings addresses the media after Monday’s shooting, in which three U.S. marshals were killed. (CMPD YouTube channel)
by Tony Mecia
Three U.S. marshals and a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer were shot and killed in a shootout in east Charlotte on Monday afternoon, police said, and four other officers were shot.
“Today is an absolute tragic day for the city of Charlotte and for the profession of law enforcement,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said at an early evening news conference. “Today, we lost some heroes that are out just simply trying to keep our community safe.”
The shooting created havoc around east Charlotte, in an area between Eastway Drive and W.T. Harris Boulevard. Nearby schools were placed on lockdown. Roads were blocked as police continued their work throughout the afternoon. Scenes posted to social media showed panic from nearby residents who sought shelter as gunshots rang out in the background.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said on social media at little after 2 p.m. Monday that “numerous law enforcement officers” were struck by gunfire on the 5000 block of Galway Drive as U.S. marshals were conducting an investigation.
A neighbor told WSOC that a little after 1:30 p.m., “We heard over the loudspeaker, ‘Come out or the dog’s coming!’ ‘Come out or the dog’s coming!’” he said. “ … After that, it’s just shots were ringing left and right for the next 30 minutes … It was at least 100 gunshots.”
Police later said that the marshals were serving a warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. “When they approached, they were met with gunfire” from a high-powered rifle, Jennings said.
Police returned fire. After a standoff, Jennings said, officers entered the house and detained two people as “persons of interest.” The person being served the warrant was killed in the gunfire.
A total of eight law enforcement officers were shot: four U.S. marshals and four CMPD officers, police said. Police identified the fallen CMPD officer as Joshua Eyer, a six-year CMPD veteran with a wife and a young child. As of late Monday, police had not released the names of the other shooting victims or the suspects.
Shortly after the shooting, police converged on Novant Health’s Presbyterian Hospital and Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, which have trauma centers and are believed to be where some of the fallen and injured officers were taken.
Police said at around 5 p.m. that the area was safe and that one suspect was found dead at the scene.
The red dot shows the location of Galway Drive, which is east of Eastway Drive and west of W.T. Harris Boulevard.
Monday was one of the darkest days for law enforcement in Charlotte’s history. It brought to mind the 1993 murders of CMPD officers John Burnette and Anthony Nobles as they chased a suspect into the woods off Billy Graham Parkway; and CMPD officers Sean Clark and Jeffrey Shelton, who were shot to death in 2007 in east Charlotte as they left a disturbance call.
CMPD said this month that violent crime in the first quarter of 2024 was down 1% compared with a year earlier, although the number of homicides rose to 34 from 26, a 31% increase.
At Monday’s news conference, fighting through tears, Mayor Vi Lyles said: “The most I can ask of our community is that we honor and respect them for all the work that they have done, and for all the work that we will do to make it possible for our city to be safer. Every one of us wants to be in a situation where you get up this morning and you get to come back home. And someone didn’t today.”
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman, BC Creative