US gun violence: Four police officers killed as 8 shot in North Carolina
Four police officers have been killed and four others injured in North Carolina in one of the deadliest assaults against US law enforcement in decades.
The shooting took place while the officers were serving a fugitive arrest warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in Charlotte on Monday.
The fugitive opened fire on officers as they arrived at a residence where the suspect was located, and was later fatally shot during the gun battle.
The standoff ended when police stormed the house.
According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, two other suspects were arrested after the ensuing standoff that lasted some three hours.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department chief Johnny Jennings said at least one of them had fired on the officers.
Jennings said three of the slain officers were part of a US Marshals Task Force, consisting of officers from multiple agencies.
He identified the fourth officer killed as Joshua Eyer, who served with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for six years.
A US Justice Department statement said one of the four slain officers was a deputy US marshal.
"Today is an absolute tragic day for the city of Charlotte and for the profession of law enforcement," Jennings said, adding, "Today we lost some heroes who were out to just keep our community safe."
Jennings said it was the worst attack on police officers he could recall in his 30 years on the force.
In response to the shooting, President Joe Biden called for additional action to combat gun violence in the US.
"Leaders in Congress need to step up so that we ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, require safe storage of guns, and pass universal background checks and a national red flag law," Biden said in a statement on Monday.
Over the years, the US has topped the list of “civilian guns per capita”, as there are more guns in the US than people, amounting to 120 guns for every 100 Americans.
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