NOS News•today, 08:02
Four police officers were killed yesterday during a shootout in the US state of North Carolina. They were looking for a man for illegal gun possession and were shot at when they arrived at the house where he was. Four other officers were injured.
The officers were shot at by the suspect as they approached the home in the city of Charlotte. They then shot him dead in the front yard. Then someone else shot from inside the house.
According to neighbors, a firefight ensued that lasted several minutes:
Four officers shot dead in North Carolina
After a standoff of about three hours, the police were able to enter the building with the help of armored trucks. The officers found a woman and a 17-year-old boy there. They have been arrested and are being interrogated.
Three sets of shots
“Today we lost a number of heroes who were simply trying to keep our community safe,” the police chief said at a news conference.
A local resident told the AP that she was cleaning her house when she heard the first shots. Then, according to her, there was a moment of silence, after which a second series of shots followed and a third.
Images showed ambulances driving to the hospital with sirens blaring. Roads in the area around the house were closed so that they could get to the hospital faster. Children were temporarily not allowed to go outside at four schools in the city.
