President Joe Biden stopped in Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 2 to pay his respects to the law enforcement officers who were killed and wounded in the line of duty earlier this week in what is being called the deadliest incident for U.S. law enforcement in eight years.
“We mourn for the fallen heroes and their loved ones,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on the flight from Washington. “And we pray for the recoveries of the courageous officers who were wounded.”
As he stepped off Air Force One at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the president was greeted by a welcome party that included Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings, and U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis.
The president then met privately for a little more than an hour with the families of the fallen officers, the wounded officers in recovery, and their families, as well as other law enforcement officers and elected officials. The meetings were held at the North Carolina Air National Guard base for the 145th Airlift Wing at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
President Biden returned to Air Force One without speaking to members of the press. He departed for Wilmington, North Carolina, where he was scheduled to give remarks on his “Investing in America agenda.”
“When a law enforcement officer puts on that shield in the morning and heads out the door, their family members dread the phone call—the very call that came today,” President Biden said in a statement released on April 29. “It’s like losing a piece of your soul. To the families of those we lost: Jill and I, and all Americans, are here for you. And we will always be here for you.”
On April 29, eight officers were shot in a shootout at a Charlotte home following an attempt by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force to serve a warrant to Terry Clark Hughes Jr., 39, who was wanted for possession of a firearm by an ex-felon and fleeing to elude, according to Mr. Jennings.
Four succumbed to their wounds: 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. The president described them as “heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice, rushing into harm’s way to protect us.”
According to The Associated Press, April 29 became the deadliest day for U.S. law enforcement in a single incident since 2016, when a sniper killed five officers during a protest. Mr. Weeks was the first marshal to be killed in the line of duty since Marshal Chase White was shot in Tucson, Arizona, by a man wanted for stalking local law enforcement in November 2018.
The suspect—Mr. Hughes, who was wanted in Lincoln County, North Carolina—was shot dead in the front yard.
An AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, a .40-caliber handgun, and more than 100 spent rounds of ammunition were found at the scene, the chief said. At least 12 officers fired guns, and it was not clear how many shots were fired by the suspect.
Chief Jennings also pointed out that an AR-15 can penetrate traditional body armor and that the officers were at a disadvantage because the suspect was “shooting from upstairs” and they had to return fire from a lower position.
President Biden, in his statement, called for more to be done to protect law enforcement officers and for additional action “to combat the scourge of gun violence.”
“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,” he said. “Enough is enough.”
