Three law enforcement officers were killed in an attack by gunmen in the US state of North Carolina. Four others were shot. The attack happened in the city of Charlotte on Monday evening local time.
Local police said they recovered the body of a suspected assailant after the gun attack.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Johnny Jennings said at a press conference that the three officers killed in the shooting were members of the US Marshals Task Force. This task force was formed with officials from various organizations.
Police Officer Johnny Jennings said, “Today is a very sad day for the city of Charlotte and law enforcement. Today, we lost some heroes who were working to keep us all safe.”
The Charlotte police chief also said that the officers who were killed in the attack had given a warrant to a criminal convicted of possessing a firearm. They went to a house after receiving information that the suspect had taken shelter. But after entering the house, the man started shooting at them. When they opened fire, the suspect was killed in the backyard.
The task force officers then opened fire from inside the house. A team of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) went there after firing and counter-firing for some time. They took two people inside the house into custody. Johnny Jennings said at least one of the men is believed to have fired at the police officers.
In addition to the three officers killed, four members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department were wounded in the shooting by the gunmen. One of them is in critical condition.
