WASHINGTON: Four US law enforcement officers were killed and four others were injured Monday when they executed a warrant at a home in southern South Carolina.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) says a wanted man was found dead on the property after shooting several police officers after a standoff that lasted nearly three hours.
CMPD said on social media that five other officers were also shot, and one local police trooper was in critical condition.
CMPD later announced that one of the injured officers had died, saying in a post on X that he “died of his injuries this afternoon while assisting other officers in apprehending a suspect after he was shot while on duty”.
CMPD Police Chief Johnny Jennings told reporters earlier that at 13:30 local time (17:30 GMT) law enforcement officers were met with gunfire while serving a warrant against a felon who wanted to be in possession of a gun.
Officers shot one man, who was pronounced dead inside the home, before firing additional shots, Jennings said.
CMPD said in a statement that the initial investigation found the male subject of the felony case “struck several police officers.”
Officers returned fire and “the suspect was pronounced dead at home,” the statement said.
After the standoff, officers cleared the property and found a 17-year-old and a woman, who were brought to the police department as “persons of interest,” Jennings said.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that the Department of Justice was “heartbroken by the death of our law enforcement colleagues.”
