(DailyDig.com) – On April 29, a task force in Charlotte, North Carolina, tried to serve their warrant on a convicted felon who was in possession of a firearm. Terry Clark Hughes, Jr. opened fire using a high-powered rifle on the officers, creating a melee that resulted in the deaths of four officers and the wounding of four more officers.
The Charlotte police wanted Hughes on two felony counts after he fled Lincoln County in North Carolina, in addition to the warrant for his firearm possession. During the shootout that resulted from the police trying to serve their warrant, Hughes was killed, and two other people, a woman and a juvenile of 17, were transferred to the Charlotte Law Enforcement Center for detectives to interview them.
Johnny Jennings, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police chief, said the investigation is in the early stages, but the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) will serve as the lead because they have many unanswered questions. One of the main acts of the investigation will be to discover the identity of the person who obtained Hughes’ rifle for him, which may lead to federal charges.
Jennings also confirmed that the person who was the recipient of the warrant was the one who initiated the gunfight by firing his rifle first at the officers. He was also the one whom the officers shot and killed in order to put an end to the gunfight.
Ronald Coleman, the director of the US Marshal Service, identified the four officers who were killed by Hughes. Officer Joshua Eyer from the CMPD, officers William ‘Alden’ Elliott and Sam Poloche from the Department of Adult Correction of North Carolina, and Thomas M. Weeks Jr. from the US Marshal’s office were the four officers killed by Hughes.
In addition to the four fatalities, another four officers sustained injuries. A US Marshal from the task force and three officers from the CMPD sustained injuries and are currently in recovery.
During a press briefing, Jennings said that the tragic incident was his worst in his 32 years with the CMPD.
Copyright 2024, DailyDig.com
