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(CHARLOTTE, N.C.) — Three officers on a U.S. Marshals Task Force serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and five other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday at a North Carolina home, police said.
The officers were first shot at by the wanted suspect as they approached the suburban home in Charlotte and they killed him in the front yard, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said at a news conference.
A second person then fired on officers from inside the home where a high-powered rifle was found, Jennings said.
A woman and a 17-year-old male were found in the home after a three-hour standoff that included armored vehicles crashing into the suburban home in a tree-lined neighborhood and tearing off doorways and windows. The two are being questioned, Jennings said.
“Today we lost some heroes who were out simply trying to keep our community safe,” Jennings said.
The Marshal’s Service confirmed one of its agents was killed and did not release a name. Two officers from the state Department of Adult Correction also were killed, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said.
One other member of the task force, which is made up of federal agents and other officers from across the region was injured.
Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg officers who responded to the scene were also shot while trying to rescue the wounded officers. One of them remains in critical condition, Jennings said.
Neighbors said gunfire continued for several minutes.
WSOC-TV said their helicopter captured an armored vehicle driving through yards and knocking over recycling bins before officers removed a person with blood on their shirt who was then loaded into an ambulance.
After the home was cleared, the helicopter pilot said he couldn’t show the front lawn of the home because the scene was too graphic and disturbing.
Several armored vehicles were on nearby lawns and driveways of the older suburban neighborhood of a tree-lined street with brick homes. A shattered…
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