Four more police officers were injured in a shootout
Four police officers assisting federal marshals were killed in an attempt to arrest a criminal in North Carolina; another four law enforcement officers were injured in the resulting shootout. This information was reported by Interfax, citing Associated Press.
The group was shot at in the state capital – Charlotte, as the police officers approached the suspect’s home with federal marshals. His name is not disclosed, but the city police chief stated that he was wanted for illegal possession of weapons.
The high number of casualties, as stated by the police, is due to the fact that the group was ambushed; the officers then rushed into an unprepared assault in an attempt to save their injured colleagues. The situation worsened as another gunman opened fire after the suspect was neutralized.
After three law enforcement officers were killed, the police brought in armored vehicles to storm the house, resulting in the gunman being eliminated.
In total, three police officers were killed in the skirmish, five were injured. One of the wounded officers died a few hours later in the hospital.