Law enforcement officers with an arrest warrant demanded that a man come out of a house in North Carolina before four were killed by gunfire, the victims unable to survive shots coming from inside the dwelling, a witness and officials said Tuesday.
Still reeling from Monday's attack — the deadliest against U.S. law enforcement officers since 2016 — investigators in Charlotte said they weren't sure whether there was a second shooter and that more work was needed to determine what happened.
“Charlotte isn’t going to be the last place that this happens,” Mayor Vi Lyles said, “but Charlotte will be the place that will heal — that will heal with dignity and respect for everyone.”
A task force made up of officers from different agencies had arrived in the suburban neighborhood to try to capture Terry Clark Hughes Jr., 39, who was wanted for possession of a firearm by an ex-felon and fleeing to elude in Lincoln County, North Carolina.
Those killed were identified as Sam Poloche and William Elliott of the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections; Charlotte-Mecklenburg Officer Joshua Eyer; and Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks. Four other officers were wounded in the shootout, and Hughes was also killed.
An AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, a 40-calibre handgun and ammunition were found at the scene.
An AR-15 is able to penetrate traditional body armor and allowed the shooter to “unload several rounds towards our officers within a matter of seconds,” said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings.
He said more than 100 spent rounds were found, though it wasn't clear how many were fired by the suspect. At least 12 officers also fired guns.
“Even though officers were trying to take cover, they were at a disadvantage because the suspect was up at a higher level and they were returning fire from a lower position,” Jennings said, noting that the gunman was “shooting from upstairs.”
It was the deadliest day for U.S. law enforcement in one incident since five officers were killed by a sniper during a protest in Dallas in 2016.
Hughes’ criminal record in North Carolina goes back more than a decade. It includes prison time and convictions for breaking and entering, reckless driving, eluding arrest and illegally possessing a gun as a former felon, according to state records.
Star Pulliam, a cousin of Hughes, said he had just bought the home where the shootout occurred. Pulliam said the pair were close and talked nearly every day. She said Hughes was an electrician for more than 15 years. He posted short videos of complex electrical wiring on his LinkedIn profile.
Despite past struggles with the law, Pulliam said it seemed to her like Hughes “had been straightening his life out,” she said.
Saing Chhoeun, who lives next door, recalled hearing several demands that Hughes leave the home. There was no response, he said, but then a car alarm went off about the same time as gunfire.
He said an armored vehicle was subsequently parked between the house and the wounded officers to serve as protection during a rescue attempt. After a three-hour standoff, the home was torn open by specialty vehicles.
“I don’t know how many rounds were fired. But then it got quiet," Chhoeun told The Associated Press.
Two females who were inside the house, including a minor, were cooperating and have not been charged, the police chief said, adding that investigators weren't pursuing additional suspects.
Jennings said Monday that a second shooter was suspected of firing at police. But by Tuesday, he was backing off and said that possibility was still being checked.
Before taking questions from reporters, officials expressed sorrow and awe for the slain and wounded officers.
Eyer was recently honored as a Charlotte-Mecklenburg officer of the month, partly for working to get guns off the streets. Jennings said he was killed while responding to others who were facing gunfire at the scene.
“We saw ... officers going into the line of fire to save their brothers in blue, who have gone down in the act of trying to keep our community safe,” Jennings said. “To me, that’s truly heroic.”
Residents in the neighborhood of modest brick homes expressed fear a day later.
"We’ve been here such a long time — you raise your children here — and then all the sudden you have this tragedy,” said Yearly Washington, who has lived there for 35 years.
The last marshal killed in the line of duty was in November 2018. Chase White was shot in Tucson, Arizona, by a man wanted for stalking local law enforcement.
The Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, headquartered in Charlotte, is comprised of 70 federal, state and local agencies collaborating to capture crime suspects.
“This is a loss for the entire country," said Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis, who traveled to Charlotte. “Losing a deputy, losing task force officers, is like losing a family member because, quite frankly, they are family members.”
Contributing to this report were John Raby and Leah Willingham in Charleston, West Virginia; Sarah Brumfield in Silver Spring, Maryland; and Ed White in Detroit.
The Slovak defence minister says doctors are fighting for the life of the country's prime minister, who was shot multiple times after a political event Wednesday afternoon.
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy that left two guards dead.
Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Whitby, Ont., has been arrested in Durham Region after allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million.
A barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a smaller and separate island that is home to a university, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Halifax Regional Police believe a non-resident could be responsible for the infamous drugging of numerous crew members of the 'Titanic' movie with a hallucinogenic in 1996.
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
Regaining your focus requires you to be mindful of how you are using technology -- a daunting task if you consider the average American spends at least 10 hours a day on screens.
A wildfire burning near Fort McMurray is expected to move away from the community on Wednesday.
A Quebec judge has rejected McGill University's request for an injunction to remove the pro-Palestinian encampment on the university's campus in downtown Montreal.
Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Whitby, Ont., has been arrested in Durham Region after allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million.
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
A man was seriously injured after falling from a ledge at a popular tourist spot in Banff last week.
The town of Fort Nelson is on high alert as two out-of-control fires now burn in the area.
U.S. officials raised concerns about China's 'misuse of AI' while Beijing's representatives rebuked Washington over 'restrictions and pressure' on artificial intelligence, the governments said separately Wednesday, a day after a meeting in Geneva on the technology.
The Slovak defence minister says doctors are fighting for the life of the country's prime minister, who was shot multiple times after a political event Wednesday afternoon.
Buckingham Palace revealed the first official portrait of King Charles III since his coronation on Tuesday, and it's proving to be divisive with its lurid red brushstrokes.
Ukrainian forces withdrew from some parts of the country's northeast and battled Russian troops in other areas Wednesday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to postpone all his upcoming foreign trips underscored the seriousness of the threat his soldiers face.
For the past decade, "Stand Your Ground" laws have been invoked time and time again by gun owners who claim self-defense after carrying out shootings. Critics have denounced them as "shoot first" laws that have created a climate of vigilantism in which gun owners operate with impunity in killing largely Black people.
The electrical blackouts experienced by the container ship Dali before it left Baltimore’s port were “mechanically distinct from” those that resulted in the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge hours later, according to congressional testimony Wednesday.
The federal government says it has reached a deal with Canadian National Railway Company to acquire the historic Quebec Bridge.
Federal Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre says the Conservatives will put forward legislation that would forbid Ottawa from "ever" granting provinces exemptions to allow illicit drug use in hospitals.
Canada's spy agency says in its annual public report that it dealt with 24 harassment investigations last year involving complaints by its staff.
Wildfires continue to impact air quality across Western Canada with health experts and Environment Canada warning that the smoke from the blazes poses serious risks to human health.
Eating a vegan, vegetarian or lacto-ovo vegetarian diet reduces risks of developing cancer, heart disease and dying early from cardiovascular disease, according to new analysis.
A new COVID-19 subvariant is dominant in Canada, representing just over 30 per cent of cases in the country, but infectious disease experts say there’s no sign it’ll evolve into a summer 'scarient.'
U.S. officials raised concerns about China's 'misuse of AI' while Beijing's representatives rebuked Washington over 'restrictions and pressure' on artificial intelligence, the governments said separately Wednesday, a day after a meeting in Geneva on the technology.
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
Billionaire businessman and real estate mogul Frank McCourt said he’s putting together a consortium to purchase TikTok’s U.S. business, adding to the number of investors hoping to benefit from a new federal law that requires TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the popular platform or face a ban.
The popular annual runway show from Victoria's Secret, featuring supermodels with jewel-encrusted bras and angel wings, will be back this fall season after a gap of nearly six years.
Halifax Regional Police believe a non-resident could be responsible for the infamous drugging of numerous crew members of the 'Titanic' movie with a hallucinogenic in 1996.
Attorneys for Hannah Gutierrez Reed have filed an appeal with the New Mexico Court of Appeals over the verdict, a court document filed Monday shows.
Ontario will revamp how it compensates injured migrant workers.
The U.S. Justice Department said late on Tuesday that Boeing Co had breached its obligations in a 2021 agreement that shielded the planemaker from criminal prosecution over fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.
One of the world's largest oil companies is preparing to drill an exploratory deepwater oil well about 500 kilometres off the eastern coast of Newfoundland.
Regaining your focus requires you to be mindful of how you are using technology -- a daunting task if you consider the average American spends at least 10 hours a day on screens.
Eating a vegan, vegetarian or lacto-ovo vegetarian diet reduces risks of developing cancer, heart disease and dying early from cardiovascular disease, according to new analysis.
A Malahide Township resident is out more than $2 million following a romance scam.
More than 20 years after winning an unlikely gold medal in short track speedskating at the Salt Lake City Olympics, Steven Bradbury is back in the news for another good reason.
After a final frame that saw the visiting Vancouver Canucks claw their way back and tie the game late, a point shot by Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard with 38 seconds left (until what seemed like certain overtime) iced the 3-2 victory for Edmonton to knot the series.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker railed against Pride month and working women during a college commencement address last weekend.
The Ontario government is expected to introduce legislation on Wednesday that, if passed, will see impaired drivers face stiffer penalties.
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
Someone has set fire to the custom Canucks jerseys fitted onto the bronze laughing men statues at Vancouver's English Bay.
BC Ferries will add 350 more sailings to its schedule this summer and remove its fuel surcharge as the ferry operator looks to avoid a repeat of last summer's travel frustrations caused by mechanical problems and staff shortages.
Police in Coquitlam are hoping to identify a suspect they say spat at a McDonald's employee through a drive-thru window earlier this month.
Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Whitby, Ont., has been arrested in Durham Region after allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million.
Three suspects are facing charges in connection with jewelry store robberies at two Mississauga malls last week, including one that was captured on video, Peel Regional Police say.
A new COVID-19 subvariant is dominant in Canada, representing just over 30 per cent of cases in the country, but infectious disease experts say there’s no sign it’ll evolve into a summer 'scarient.'
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she remains "concerned" after Calgary councillors passed blanket rezoning on Tuesday.
Calgary police are working to identify two men who are believed to have information about a vehicle recovered from the community of Mayland Heights last year.
Though Calgarians have been warned about the potential of drought this summer, it's now flood season in Calgary.
A 3.2 magnitude earthquake was felt east of Ottawa on Wednesday morning.
A Para Transpo driver is facing charges following an investigation into an alleged sexual assault of a passenger on a transit vehicle last winter.
A 52-year-old man from Carleton Place, Ont. reported missing four months ago has been located deceased, according to police.
A Quebec judge has rejected McGill University's request for an injunction to remove the pro-Palestinian encampment on the university's campus in downtown Montreal.
A 35-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a decade-old murder case.
Aéroports de Montréal (ADM), which operates Montréal-Trudeau International Airport, is suing its Saint-Hubert competitor, claiming that its rebranding will confuse travellers.
A wildfire burning near Fort McMurray is expected to move away from the community on Wednesday.
A five-year-old girl was killed in what is believed to have been a head-on crash north of Edmonton Tuesday evening.
A 52-year-old man from St. Albert died in a car crash in Sturgeon County on Tuesday night.
A 25-year-old man is facing multiple dangerous driving charges in connection to a vehicle crash that killed two adults and an infant on a Nova Scotia highway last October.
A large police presence in Middle Sackville, N.S., Tuesday night was the result of a sudden death, according to Nova Scotia RCMP.
Halifax Regional Police believe a non-resident could be responsible for the infamous drugging of numerous crew members of the 'Titanic' movie with a hallucinogenic in 1996.
The Winnipeg Humane Society (WHS) says more than 60 dogs have been seized from a home Wednesday.
Neighbours of admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki testified about the man’s late night outings when he was “just getting rid of garbage” – later determined to be the remains of one of his four victims.
Manitoba Hydro crews are dealing with an underground equipment fire that has caused an outage affecting most of downtown Winnipeg.
Negotiations between the provincial government and Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) will be restarting on Wednesday, according to the province’s education minister.
A 28-year-old man found cycling and blaring loud music in the middle of the night on a Regina street is facing multiple firearms related charges after being apprehended by police.
No one was injured in two overnight house fires in Regina that left at least three people displaced.
Marc Miller dropped by the CTV Kitchener studio to comment on international student enrollment in post secondary schools.
Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Whitby, Ont., has been arrested in Durham Region after allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million.
A Kitchener man has been arrested after police say he was involved in a hit-and-run crash that sent a pregnant woman to hospital.
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
Negotiations between the provincial government and Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) will be restarting on Wednesday, according to the province’s education minister.
Rebecca Strong is Saskatchewan’s newest millionaire after winning the grand prize on Canada’s Got Talent.
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
The monthly police services board in Greater Sudbury gives the public insight into the day-to-day operations of police, including some of the cases they deal with far from the spotlight.
The search for a missing northeastern Ontario man has come to a tragic end after his remains were identified.
More than three months after her death, OPP in Elgin County are confirming the death of Tanya Wiebe was the result of a murder-suicide.
London City Hall has been evacuated and will be closed for the remainder of the day after smoke was discovered in the electrical room on Wednesday morning.
Cole Brubacher will be putting a few kilometres on his Mazda this weekend — but not how you might imagine.
The Southshore Community Centre in Barrie will be given a new name to honour a retired Brigadier General who served over half a century in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Emergency crews were called to remove a pickup truck from a ditch along Highway 11 after a collision on Wednesday in Muskoka.
A man accused of driving erratically in an Owen Sound parking lot while impaired was arrested and charged.
The Windsor police auto theft unit is asking the public to avoid keeping the original copies of ownership and insurance documents in their vehicles.
Transit Windsor says a sinkhole is causing detours in Sandwich Town.
Windsor police have issued an arrest warrant for a suspect wanted after a home break-in was caught on a security camera.
BC Ferries will add 350 more sailings to its schedule this summer and remove its fuel surcharge as the ferry operator looks to avoid a repeat of last summer's travel frustrations caused by mechanical problems and staff shortages.
At a news conference about after-school care Tuesday, Premier David Eby seemed preoccupied with the BC Conservatives and its leader John Rustad.
A Metro Vancouver man says he plans to do more cooking – and buy a bigger home to do it in – after winning $1 million on a Lotto 6/49 draw.
One person is dead after a fight in Penticton early Sunday morning, according to authorities.
A suspect is at large after robbing a convenience store at gunpoint in Merritt, B.C., Friday, according to local police.
After four targeted shootings in four days, Mounties in Kamloops are taking the unusual step of warning the public about two men they believe are likely to be targeted in future violent incidents.
While they may not be noticeable to residents, the City of Lethbridge is making a few changes to its encampment strategy to help connect the city’s vulnerable population with services and support.
A job fair saw hundreds of prospective hiring candidates meet with employers in Lethbridge on Tuesday.
Two people were killed and another was seriously injured in a crash in southern Alberta on Sunday.
A major police operation in Wiikwemkoong on Tuesday was sparked by a report of an armed person in the community.
A 24-year-old woman has been charged with assault with a weapon following a confrontation between two strangers Tuesday in Sault Ste. Marie.
Every year, people across the province make remarkable contributions to their community by volunteering their time and recently two young adults from northern Ontario were awarded for their efforts.
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Health officials say there is an outbreak of whooping cough in eastern Newfoundland.
Ontario Provincial Police are facing tough questions about their search for a missing Newfoundland trucker whose rig was found two weeks ago in Ontario, then sent back to Newfoundland, where his body was found Monday in the trailer.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
