Four police officers were killed and four others injured in an exchange of fire in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the southeast of the United States, local authorities announced on Monday April 29.
The police were carrying out an intervention linked to a warrant targeting a man already convicted and wanted for illegal possession of a firearm, when they came under fire. Police returned fire and fatally shot a suspect in the garden of the property before being confronted with more gunshots coming from inside the house.
A 17-year-old boy and a woman were then arrested, said local police chief Johnny Jennings, referring to a “absolutely tragic day for the city of Charlotte and for the police profession”.
“ This is the worst attack on police officers that I can remember in thirty years of work. “, Mr. Jennings told the press. “Today we lost heroes who were simply working to keep our community safe “, he continued. The President of the United States, Joe Biden, expressed his “condolences and support”, the White House said. In a statement, Justice Minister Merrick Garland said he “upset”.