The law enforcement community is in mourning after four officers were tragically killed in a shootout while attempting to serve a warrant in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday. The officers, including one deputy U.S. Marshal two state Department of Adult Correction task force officers and one Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officer faced gunfire from a suspect identified as Terry Clark Hughes Jr.
3 U.S. Marshals dead, 8 Agents/Officers shot while serving a warrant in Charlotte pic.twitter.com/y5o5VJQxiM
— Andrew Talbot (@AndrewTalbotUSA) April 29, 2024
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings described the officers’ heroic actions under fire saying, “We saw officers going into the line of fire to save their brothers in blue who have gone down in an act of trying to keep our community safe.” He added, “They aren’t making huge sums of money, but their sacrifices are infinite and priceless.”
The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force operation aimed at apprehending a felon in possession of a firearm quickly escalated with an immediate exchange of gunfire resulting in Hughes’s death. Additional shots fired from within the house suggested a possible second shooter though later findings indicated Hughes might have moved around the house to fire from various positions.
This year alone at least 98 officers were shot through March with ten fatalities. This follows a year where 378 officers were shot marking the highest number on record since the Fraternal Order of Police began tracking such data.
Community leaders and officials have expressed their condolences and support for the affected families and the law enforcement community as they grapple with this devastating loss. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers law enforcement officers face daily in their efforts to protect and serve.
