AR-15 rifle recovered from scene where 4 law enforcement officers killed in Charlotte: Police

(CHARLOTTE, N.C.) — Authorities recovered an AR-15 rifle and .40-caliber handgun from the scene where four law enforcement officers were fatally shot while attempting to serve warrants at a residence in Charlotte, North Carolina, police said.

Additional magazines and ammunition for both firearms were also recovered from the scene, where there are believed to have been more than 100 projectiles and casings, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings.

“I can’t tell you how much I’m grateful for these officers and their heroic act,” Jennings said during a press briefing on Tuesday. “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.”

The law enforcement officials were shot and killed as they attempted to serve two warrants in Charlotte on Monday, city officials said. Four other officers were shot and suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

A man, later identified by authorities as Terry Clark Hughes Jr., 39, allegedly began firing at about 1:30 p.m. Monday, striking multiple officers, police said. The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force had been serving active felony warrants for possession of a firearm by a felon and felony flee to elude.

Police are investigating whether other shooters were involved, Jennings said Tuesday. A teenager and a woman who were in the home at the time are cooperating in the investigation, he said.

“We feel like we have everyone involved that was at the house that we need to speak with,” Jennings said.

Twelve Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers fired their service weapon during the incident and have been placed on administrative leave, per protocol, amid an investigation into the shooting, the chief said.

The four law enforcement personnel killed in the incident were identified as Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks Jr., 48; North Carolina Department of Adult Correction veterans Sam Poloche and Alden Elliott; and CMPD officer Joshua Eyer.

Mayor Vi Lyles asked for everyone in Charlotte to join her in “uplifting the grieving families.”

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Joshua Michael Eyer, who was a loved member of our city family who dedicated his life to serving our community,” she said.

George Dunlap, chairman of the county commissioners board, issued a statement calling the shooting a “senseless and preventable” tragedy.

The community feels “the shock and the pain” of Monday’s shooting, added Dena Diorio, Mecklenburg’s county manager.

“We stand ready to support our law enforcement colleagues and their families in any way we can as we all work through this heartbreaking situation,” she said on social media.

As the procession of police cruisers drove past the hospital’s emergency room late on Monday, crowds of hospital staffers in scrubs stood outside watching.

“Praying and sending light & support to the families trying to make sense of this disaster,” Dr. Raynard Washington, the county’s health director, said on social media. “We should all be tired of our guns in the wrong hands problem. Here’s to hope.”

ABC News’ Julia Reinstein, Luke Barr and Jolie Lash contributed to this report.

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