3 law officers killed, 5 others wounded trying to serve warrant in North Carolina, authorities say

Three law enforcement officers serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and five other officers were wounded Monday in a shootout at a Charlotte, North Carolina, home, police said.

The officers were first shot at as they approached the suburban home, and then they fired at a suspect in the front yard, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said. He said after that man fell, more shots were fired at them from inside the home.

A suspect was found dead in the front yard and two other people were found in the home after a three-hour standoff and are being questioned, Jennings said. Authorities said two shooters were involved in the attack.

Gunfire continued for several minutes after the initial shooting. Authorities did not say exactly how many officers were struck by gunfire or elaborate on their conditions.

WSOC-TV said their helicopter captured an armored vehicle driving through yards and knocking over recycling bins before officers removed a person with blood on their shirt who was then loaded into an ambulance.

After the home was cleared, the helicopter pilot said he couldn’t show the front lawn of the home because the scene was too disturbing. Several armored vehicles were on nearby lawns and driveways of the older suburban neighborhood of a tree-lined street with brick homes.

Many roads in the area including Interstate 77 were closed so ambulances could get to hospitals faster. TV footage showed ambulances speeding to hospitals with several vehicles with sirens on both in front and behind them.

Kiashia Williams was driving home when she heard several shots separated by a few seconds.

“Ambulances, police and everything everywhere just started rushing down,” said Williams as she waited in her car to be allowed to go home and check on her daughter, who broadcast what she saw on social media.

Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools were placed on lockdown around afternoon dismissal, but that was lifted in the late afternoon, the district said.

Police urged people to stay away from the neighborhood and asked residents to remain inside their homes.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said he was in contact with law enforcement in Charlotte and offered any state resources to help.

Authorities did not immediately specify the nature of the warrant being served by the task force operation.

The Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force is headquartered in Charlotte with 70 federal, state and local agencies. Fugitive task forces are collaborations between agencies to find and arrest suspects in crimes.

In six years, the regional task force has apprehend more than 8,900 fugitives, the U.S. Marshals Service said on its website.

In March 2007, two Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers were killed responding to a domestic dispute by someone not directly involved in the fight. Demeatrius Antonio Montgomery is serving a life sentence in the killings of officers Jeffrey Shelton and Sean Clark.