Charlotte shooting: President Biden plans to visit family members of slain officers
Officers were shot at as they served a fugitive arrest warrant to Terry Clark Hughes Jr at a house in North Carolina
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New details have emerged around a police encounter with the suspect —months before the shoot-out in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday that left four law enforcement officers dead.
Back in January, Terry Clark Hughes Jr, 39, led officers on a high-speed chase, according to Lincoln County Sheriff Bill Beam. One of his officers tried to pull over Hughes. But rather than slowing down, he “took off,” the sheriff told WCNC.
The car chase was ultimately called off when a police officer noticed the Hughes’ vehicle was registered to a woman.
Four months later, Hughes opened fire on officers as they approached his home on April 29 trying to serve him warrants. He was wanted for possession of a firearm by felon and felony flee to elude.
Hughes was fatally shot during the exchange.
Two other people later found in the home where Hughes was firing from “are fully cooperating” with the investigation and are not considered suspects, CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings said.
Four officers were killed in the tragedy: North Carolina Department of Adult Correction’s Sam Poloche and Alden Elliott, Deputy US Marshal Thomas Weeks and CMPD officer Joshua Eyer.
Of the four officers injured, three have been discharged from the hospital while the fourth is in stable condition.
Rap Sheet: Terry Clark Hughes Jr
Officers had been attempting to serve felony warrants on Hughes, the 39-year-old gunman identified in the Charlotte shooting.
CMPD said the five-foot-nine man was wanted for Possession of a Firearm by Felon and Felony Flee to Elude (2 counts) out of Lincoln County, North Carolina.
Criminal records in the state show he has an extensive rap sheet, many of which are drug-related charges. Many of them appear to have been disposed.
On April 24, he failed to appear in court related to charges of possession of firearm by felon and marijuana possession.
In 2021, Hughes was charged with possessing drug paraphernalia, manufacturing marijuana, possession of marijuana with the intent to manufacture, sell or deliver, and having knowingly maintained or kept a shop, residence, building, or some other place that is being unlawfully used for the purpose of selling, keeping, or using a controlled substance.
That same year, he was also charged with fleeing to elude arrest.
Back in 2012, he also faced possession of firearm by felon, eluding arrest with two aggravating factors, reckless driving to endanger, driving while license revoked,
In 2011, he was also faced the charge of possessing firearm by felon.
Back in 2009, he was charged with breaking and/or entering and possessing a stolen firearm.
Three years prior, he was twice charged with carrying a concealed gun, while as early as 2001, he was charged with communicating threats — against his father.
ICYMI: What happened in the Charlotte shooting?
Four law enforcement officers were killed during a shootout in Charlotte, North Carolina, after trying to serve a warrant at a home.
The incident took place around 1.30pm as members of US Marshals Fugitive Task Force attempted to serve a warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon at a suburban home in Charlotte, reported USA Today.
The suspect opened fire at the officers with a “high-powered rifle” as they approached the residence, said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police (CMPD) Chief Johnny Jennings.
Officers returned fire and hit an individual, who was later pronounced dead in the front yard.
Some of the officers who rushed to the Charlotte neighbourhood to rescue the first wave of downed officers were wounded as a second shooter began firing on them after they killed the wanted man. His name was not released but the chief said he was wanted as a felon illegally possessing a weapon.
Recap: What happened in the aftermath of the shooting?
After a three-hour standoff, the suburban Charlotte home was torn open. Armored vehicles smashed into it, ripping off windows and entire doorways that were left broken. Several armored vehicles were parked across yards, some with tree branches dangling off them.
A second person then fired on officers from inside the home where a high-powered rifle was found, Mr Jennings added.
A woman and a 17-year-old male were found in the home after the standoff. The two are being questioned, he said.
The Marshal’s Service confirmed one of its agents was killed. Two officers from the state Department of Adult Correction also were killed, said North Carolina governor Roy Cooper. The governor was in Charlotte and was speaking to the families of the officers killed and hurt.
Read the full story...
Suspect dead as four US Marshals killed and four wounded in Charlotte shooting
Members of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department were shot at as they attempted to serve a warrant
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What we know about the ‘second’ shooter
After a number of officers were struck by gunfire, another round of officers flocked to the scene.
That’s when a second shooter began firing on them from inside the residence after they killed Terry Clark Hughes Jr, to whom the police were attempting to serve warrants, CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings said on Monday.
That person has still not been named. The relationship between Hughes and the second person is not immediately clear.
The theory of the second shooter emerged after officers were subjects of gunfire “down at the officers both front and back,” seemingly an indicator that there was more than one shooter.
Mr Jennings said on Tuesday that police are “not looking or interested in any additional suspects or any persons of interest.”
GoFundMe Page for families of injured and killed officers surpasses $50k
As of Tuesday morning, the GoFundMe page has raised more than $53,000, which has vowed to “provide support for those affected, offering a beacon of hope amidst the darkness of this tragedy.”
“As the community reels from this senseless act of violence, thoughts and prayers pour out for the wounded officers and their families,” the fundraiser says.
“As the investigation unfolds and the names of the fallen are confirmed, the community stands together in solidarity, determined to honor the bravery of those who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty,” it continued.
You can find find the fundraiser here.
In photos: the Charlotte shooting
One of the deadliest days for law enforcement
The Fratneral Order of Police report from April 1 shows that 98 officers shot in the line of duty so far in 2024.
Of those officers shot, 10 of them were killed.
The New York Times called Monday’s incident one of the deadliest attacks on law enforcement in recent years.