CNN —
Four officers were killed in a shooting while attempting to serve a warrant at a home in Charlotte, North Carolina, including one deputy US Marshal and two local task force officers, authorities say.
A total of eight law enforcement officers were shot during the incident, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said at a Monday evening news conference. He described the shooting as “the most tragic one” he had been involved with in his 32-year-long law enforcement career.
The shooting unfolded in the 5000 block of Galway Drive as members of the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force were serving a warrant for possession of firearm by a convicted felon, Jennings said.
The officers were met with gunfire from a “high-powered rifle” and returned fire, fatally shooting a suspect in the front yard of the house. Jennings said the US Marshals had been serving the warrant to that suspect.
“As officers approached, they received additional gunfire from inside the residence,” the police chief said.
Three members of the US Marshals task force were killed, Jennings said. In a statement to CNN, the US Marshals Service confirmed one of the dead was a deputy US Marshal.
Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers were also shot, including one in critical condition, “fighting for his life” in the hospital, the police chief said. The other officers are in stable condition, he said.
On Monday night, police said one of the wounded officers, Joshua Eyer, had died.
“Officer Joshua Eyer was one of the CMPD officers shot in the line of duty this afternoon,” Jennings said on X. “He fought for several hours and passed away from his injuries with his wife and family by his side tonight. Officer Eyer was 6-year veteran with the CMPD, and I am truly grateful for his bravery, service and ultimate sacrifice. He will never be forgotten, and we are forever indebted.”
