CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An attempt to serve a warrant turned deadly Monday when a U.S. marshal and two correction officers were shot and killed in Charlotte while trying to serve a warrant.
In all, eight law enforcement officials were shot, including another marshal and four Charlotte-Mecklenburg four police officers.
The deadly saga began around 1:30 p.m. when the U.S. Marshals Task Force went to serve a warrant on a convicted felon believed to have illegal firearms.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Johnny Jennings said the marshals were met with a barrage of gunfire, which they returned.
The man shooting at the officers was killed in the front yard of a home in the eastern Charlotte neighborhood, but as officers approached him, more shots were fired in their direction from inside a nearby home.
When the shootout ended, a standoff began and lasted for several hours. That included armored vehicles crashing into the suburban home in a tree-lined neighborhood and tearing off doorways and windows.
At 5 p.m., hours after the first response, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department announced that the scene was clear, and the people inside the home — a woman and a 17-year-old boy — were being detained for questioning.
“Today we lost some heroes who were out simply trying to keep our community safe,” Jennings said.
During a 6 p.m. news conference, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said three U.S. marshals had been killed, and a fourth injured.
Later, the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed that one of its officers had been killed. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper clarified that the other two killed were officers with the State Department of Adult Correction who were working with the task force.
Four Charlotte officers were also shot and injured. One remains in critical condition, Jennings said.
WATCH: Full news conference
Raw video: At a news conference, Charlotte Police discussed a deadly day that left 3 US Marshals dead.
Jennings confirmed that the suspect killed in the shootout was the subject of the warrant.
“A lot of the questions that need to be answered, we don’t even know what those questions are now,” Jennings said less than four hours after the shooting. “We have to get a full understanding of why this occurred and also uphold the integrity of the investigation.”
Cooper posted on social media that he had offered state resources to assist local law enforcement in any way they may need.
Cooper later arrived in Charlotte, the state’s largest city, to meet with officials and the families of the victims.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles took to social media to offer her thoughts on the shooting:
“I am deeply saddened by the shooting that occurred that involved Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers and US Marshals today. I ask that all Charlotteans keep them, the other injured officers, and their families in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time.”
The last marshal shot and killed in the line of duty was in November 2018. Chase White was shot in Tucson, Arizona, by a man wanted for stalking local law enforcement officers, the agency said.
The Associated Press contributed.
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