CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Three law enforcement officers were killed and five others were shot and wounded Monday in east Charlotte, authorities said.
The U.S. Marshals service and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, made up of multiple agencies, was attempting to serve a warrant in the area when it engaged in gunfire with a subject. Three on the task force were killed and five others, including four CMPD officers, were shot and injured. The U.S. Marshals Service did not immediately identify the victims.
The residence in the 5000 block of Galway Drive where it happened was cleared and the area deemed safe, the CMPD said around 5 p.m., about three hours after the shooting. Residents no longer need to shelter in place.
At least one shooting suspect died in the front yard after CMPD cleared the scene, the department said, and two other occupants of the home were being questioned.
Along with other law enforcement agencies, CMPD will remain at the scene to conduct an investigation. Some roadways in the neighborhood will remain closed, CMPD said.
Multiple officers were struck and were transported to the hospital.
Barry Lane, with the public affairs office at the U.S. Marshals Service, confirmed that one deputy U.S. Marshal had been shot and killed during the operation.
“Several other Marshals Service task force members and local officers were also shot and wounded. We cannot confirm the number of officers wounded or their condition,” Lane said.
Lane referred The Charlotte Observer to CMPD, and said the U.S. Marshals Service was withholding the deputy’s name pending notification of the family members.
CMPD spokesperson Michael Allinger said that there was active gunfire in the area.
“All of a sudden it sounded like Vietnam out there,” said Larry Mackey, who lives in the neighborhood and who said he saw the firefight.
When an Observer reporter called him around 3:45 p.m., Mackey estimated that there were 30 or 40 police cars at the scene.
Whoever was in the house was still there, he said.
“There was a litany of gunfire, just an enormous amount,” said a neighbor, who heard pops from inside her shower. She bought a home three lots down from the scene, and requested to remain anonymous, citing safety concerns.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: “I am deeply saddened by the shooting that occurred that involved Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers and US Marshals today.”