On April 29, a group of officers with the U.S. Marshals Task Force drove to a house in a Charlotte suburb to serve warrants to Terry Clark Hughes Jr., 39, a man accused of firearm possession by a felon and two counts of fleeing from police. Before it was all over, five people would be dead: the shooter and four police officers. It was the deadliest attack on law enforcement since 2016. Here’s what happened.
The task force approached the house and Hughes was outside. Before they could arrest him, he ran inside the house. Officers sprang to action and quickly set up a perimeter around the residence, as is standard procedure, per a police memo obtained by CNN.
All of a sudden, gunshots from what police think was an AR-15 peppered the cops position and eight officers were hit. The officers returned fire and it quickly turned into a shootout. As they called for backup they continued to exchange gunfire, and a long standoff began.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said he was “grateful” to the officers for “their heroic act.”
“To me that’s truly heroic – when you hear the gunshots and the rapid fire and they’re running directly into it because they know that there are people that need help.”
A man in a nearby house named Tyler Wilson said he was at home working when he heard officers yelling for someone to come out of a nearby house.
“After that, it was just chaos,” Wilson told WBTV. “There was shots ringing left and right. We had SWAT and U.S. marshals set up snipers in our bedrooms. There was a officer got drug by his arms through our house. I don’t know if he was shot or if he injured himself. It’s been pretty crazy. It was about 30 minutes where it was a straight shootout.”
Saing Chhoeun, 54, was in his leaving his house when U.S. Marshals ran into his yard and took cover behind a blue Honda, according to USA TODAY. Chhoeun said he saw two officers get shot, and then an armored vehicle crashed through the suspect’s yard to get the downed officers.
The gunman shot officers from an advantageous position upstairs in the house, and while police initially thought there was more than one shooter, they now posit that Hughes was running around the house shooting at them. After three tense hours, Hughes walked out of the house armed and officers took him down.
Authorities retrieved an AR-15 and a .40-caliber handgun. There were more than 100 rounds strewn across the lawn and roadway. Once the suspect was taken care of, a woman and a 17-year-old were found inside and taken in for questioning. Jennings said they are both cooperating.
A total of 12 officers fired their weapons and were placed on administrative leave, per policy. The task force, which is made up of officers from different departments and stations, lost three members.
Thomas M. Weeks, 48, was a deputy U.S. Marshal and is survived by his wife and four children. Sam Poloche and Alden Elliott were part of the state’s Department of Adult Correction. They were both 14-year veterans of the force. Poloche has a wife and two kids and Elliot has a wife and one child.
CMPD officer Joshua Eyer perished from his injuries at the hospital “with his wife and family by his side.”
Jennings wrote a tribute for the fallen officer on X. “Officer Eyer was 6-year veteran with the CMPD, and I am truly grateful for his bravery, service and ultimate sacrifice. He will never be forgotten, and we are forever indebted,” Jennings said.
CMPD officer Christopher Tolley was injured in the shooting but is in stable condition following emergency surgery. Officers Michael Giglio and Jack Blowers were both shot but non-fatally and were released after being treated. The final injury belongs to officer Justin Campbell, who broke his foot during the skirmish.
Who is Terry Clarke Hughes Jr., the Charlotte shooter?
State records provide some insight into Hughes criminal past: In 2010, he did half a year in prison for felony breaking and entering. On June 2012, he was arrested on charges of fleeing from police. In October of that same year, he was convicted of fleeing from police and possession of a firearm, and he served 11 months.
In May of 2021, Hughes was arrested and charged with two drug charges and another fleeing charge. His drug charges were dropped but he never showed up to court for the fleeing charge, which caused a warrant to be created.
Condolences poured in for the fallen officers from all over. President Joe Biden released a statement praising the officers. “They are heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice, rushing into harm’s way to protect us,” the president said. “We mourn for them and their loved ones. And we pray for the recoveries of the courageous officers who were wounded.”
He added that law enforcement needs to be protected so they can do the job effectively. “That means funding them – so they have the resources they need to do their jobs and keep us safe. And it means taking additional action to combat the scourge of gun violence.”
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper shared a heartfelt thanks to the officers as well, saying they were brave and courageous.
“The investigation into this tragic, brutal, deadly attack will result in more answers that we don’t know today,” Cooper said at a press briefing. “I expect it to find those answers and to help bring to justice people for these needless deaths of these brave officers.”
He said that the four families who gave the “ultimate sacrifice” are seen by the community and will be taken care of.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation started a “Help Our Heroes” fund in response to the shooting. It would go towards mental health care for first responders after tragic occurrences. The CMPD also shared instructions on how to donate to the families of the fallen officers.
“Contributions will be directed either to the family or as specified. Please indicate in the PayPal comment section how you would like your donations to be allocated.”