‘Keep my head on a swivel.’ East Charlotte neighbors take cover during tragic shootout
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Monday evening still held an uneasy atmosphere in east Charlotte as investigators continued their work to process one of the most deadly days in law enforcement history in the City of Charlotte.
Large lights were brought in to help with the evidence collection process as the area around it continued to be blocked off by CIS crews.
Multiple neighbors were just yards away at the moment two suspects opened fire on multiple law enforcement agents, which killed four and injured four more.
“I heard “pop, pop, pop” described LA Saunders who has lived near Galway Road for years.
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He was doing work on an HVAC system just a few yards away from the shooting when he heard the shots begin.
What started as a handful of shots quickly grew into a barrage of them.
Saunders said, “The shots were a lot closer, it wasn’t like I was just hearing them from down the street . . . this was happening in the man’s backyard.”
He said gunshots are common in this area of Charlotte, but nothing has ever sounded like the gunfight that happened Monday afternoon.
“I love my community, but you never know what lies within your community. I keep my head on a swivel.”
While he ran to hide, other families were trapped inside their homes as law enforcement officers engaged in a brutal exchange of gunfire.
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Mother Rissa Reign lives just a few streets from the scene but saw law enforcement officers use her neighbor’s house and yards for their operation.
“I saw this one man with a sniper and camouflaged,” she described. “I didn’t want them in my yard because what if they start shooting in that direction and hit me or my children.”
While the shooting stopped and officers began to process the scene, the situation began to draw more than just neighbors, but future law enforcement officers.
Deamonte White was quick to respond to the scene to witness the situation with her own eyes.
Multiple members of his family are retired law enforcement, while he is set to begin his time in the police academy in Greensboro come from the fall.
He said, “When you hear something like this happen, it really just shakes me to the core and it’s part of the reason why I want to join all enforcement. I’ll be the one that’s coming to help it. Brothers and sisters out here that do a dangerous job every day. And I just felt like I had come out here and at least paid my respects out here.”
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