Four police officers shot dead, four injured in American city of Charlotte, suspect found dead

A federal US Marshals team tracking down fugitives attempted to execute an arrest warrant for gun possession by a convicted felon around 1:30 p.m. local time. Upon their arrival, the man opened fire with a high-powered rifle, and officers returned fire, killing the gunman in the front yard, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said.

When officers approached him afterwards, shots were also fired from the house. A large police force, including a SWAT team, responded to the scene. Local residents were advised to stay indoors for several hours before the neighborhood was finally declared safe again.

Two residents of the house – a 17-year-old and a woman – were taken into custody for questioning.

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A federal agent from the U.S. Marshals team and two state troopers working for the task force were killed at the scene. A local police officer who rushed to the scene suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital in critical condition, where he has since died. Johsua Eyer “fought for his life for hours and died this evening from his injuries with his wife and family by his side,” Police Chief Jennings said.

Three other local police officers and one task force officer were injured.

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“Today is an absolutely tragic day for the city of Charlotte and for the law enforcement profession. Today we lost some heroes who were simply trying to keep our community safe,” Police Chief Jennings said at a news conference. “If we put on this uniform, we have no guarantee that we will come back home. Yet we have many wonderful men and women across the country doing that every day to ensure you are safe in your communities.”

The White House said Monday evening that President Biden had been briefed on the incident. The President sent a message of condolence to the affected community.