‘Sounded like Vietnam out there.’ Charlotte residents describe shooting where officers killed

Ryan Oehrli, Julia Coin, Rebecca Noel, Josh Bergeron
·2 min read
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There was “an enormous amount of gunfire” Monday when multiple officers were killed as U.S. Marshals tried to serve a warrant at an east Charlotte home, neighbors who witnessed the incident said.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said a U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force attempted to serve a warrant in the 5000 block of Galway Drive when they exchanged gunfire with a suspect. Three officers were killed and another five were wounded, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said during a news conference.

Jennings said a suspect shot and killed during the incident was wanted for possession of a firearm by a felon. That’s why officers went to the house at 5525 Galway Drive.

Many other details about the incident are unclear, including how it escalated from a warrant service to a shootout with police.

“All of a sudden it sounded like Vietnam out there,” said Larry Mackey, who lives in the neighborhood and who said he saw the firefight.

When an Observer reporter called him around 3:45 p.m., Mackey estimated that there must be 30 or 40 police cars at the scene.

Whoever was in the house was still there, he said.

Charlotte roads, city transit and schools impacted by CMPD shooting investigation

“There was a litany of gunfire, just an enormous amount,” said a neighbor, who heard pops from inside her shower. She bought a home three lots down from the scene, which was still active as of 4 p.m. Monday, and requested to remain anonymous, citing safety concerns.

The home had police cars in front of it twice since she moved in in October, she said. Now, it was surrounded by at least 150 officers and snipers perched on neighbors’ homes. A negotiation tent popped up around 3 p.m. — after officers “dragged” one of the shot officers into an ambulance, she said.

In a statement posted Monday afternoon, community nonprofit Charlotte East said “the senseless actions of a few individuals have upturned the lives of many.”

“While we do not know how this situation unfolded, we do know that it is yet another in a series of gun-related incidents that have plagued the Milton/Barrington/Plaza area,” the nonprofit said in its statement. “Since Saturday the 27th, five reports of shots fired have been made within a mile of the site of today’s incident.”

CMPD said at 4:56 p.m. that the scene was clear and the area was safe. At least one person was found dead inside the Galway Drive house. CMPD was questioning two other people inside the home.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools put a number of schools in the area on lockdown during the incident, including Devonshire Elementary, Briarwood Academy, Cochrane Collegiate and Lawrence Orr Elementary. Those lockdowns were lifted by 3:40 p.m.