Charlotte police investigate shooting deaths of four officers, suspect

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Officer Joshua Eyer succumbed to gunshot wounds on Monday night. He died hours after a shooting that killed three other men on a task force of the U.S. Marshals Service that had attempted to serve a warrant. Footage showed police and hospital staff honoring Eyer, a six-year law enforcement veteran, with a procession to transport his body. In addition to those killed, three other Charlotte officers and a U.S. Marshal were injured by gunshots. All four are in stable condition, according to CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings.

Have the other fallen officers been identified? N.C. Department of Adult Corrections Secretary Todd Ishee identified Sam Poloche and Alden Elliot as having been killed. The pair were 14-year veterans of the corrections department and served on the U.S. Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force. Poloche leaves behind a wife and two children. Elliot leaves behind a wife and child. The U.S. Marshals identified the fourth victim as Deputy Thomas M. Weeks Jr., 48, a 13-year department veteran. Weeks left behind a wife and four children.

Who shot at the law enforcement? Officers were at a residence serving a warrant for felony possession of a firearm when the shooting occurred. The first shooting suspect has been identified as Terry Clark Hughes Jr., 39, who was found dead in the front yard after the incident. Hughes shot at officers with a high-powered rifle, Jennings said at a news conference. A second suspect began shooting at police from inside the house after Hughes was neutralized. The second shooter was not identified as of early Tuesday morning. Police said two female persons of interest were removed from the property after SWAT negotiators came to the scene. CMPD’s Homicide Unit is leading the investigation.

Dig deeper: Read Travis K. Kircher’s report in The Sift on three emergency workers killed while responding to a domestic violence call in Minnesota earlier this year.