For law enforcement in Carolinas, Charlotte shooting is like ‘losing a family member’
York County law enforcement officers were reminded of a searing, familiar feeling Monday when a gunman killed four and injured others during a shootout in east Charlotte.
Six years ago, four York County law enforcement officers were shot — one of them killed — while trying to apprehend a domestic violence suspect outside the town of York, South Carolina. Armed with a rifle, the suspect killed York County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Mike Doty and injured the three others.
The painful bond was shared by law enforcement officers in two different counties Monday as York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson and some of the officers who survived the 2018 shooting watched as another gunman shot and killed four officers and injured five others, this time in east Charlotte.
On Monday, that gunman, wanted on warrants out of Lincoln County, met a U.S. Marshals Service task force with an AR-15 and .40 caliber pistol and turned the warrant service into one of the most tragic days in Charlotte’s history.
“It’s hard to explain unless you’ve actually been through it and lost a friend or brother or sister in law enforcement…It’s as close to losing a family member as I think you can get,” Tolson told the Observer.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings described the loss of the four officers on Monday as a “scar that won’t heal.”
“The past nearly 24 hours have been heavy on the CMS police department and marshal service but also heavy on our community and on our country,” Jennings told reporters at a news briefing Tuesday morning. “We’re a resilient profession and a resilient city, and we will certainly get through this. But it will take time, and it will take support from all of our community as our officers continue to keep our community safe even through this tragedy.”
Alongside Jennings, director of the U.S. Marshal Service Ron Davis grieved the lives lost, including a deputy U.S. marshal.
“I don’t think words can describe the amount of pain that the marshal service and all of its members, the court family, law enforcement in general, this community and communities around the country are feeling with such a loss,” Davis said. “Losing a deputy, losing a task force officer, is like losing a family member.”
Back the Blue North Carolina, a nonprofit that provides monetary assistance to families of killed officers, says the Charlotte shooting left law enforcement of all departments in a state of shock. The group has assisted 16 fallen officers’ families around the state in the last four years.
“I could only describe this as a massacre, a mass assault on our officers,” said Lindsay LiCausi, a former police officer and founder of Back the Blue North Carolina. “What’s so tragic about it is not only how it affects the departments but also the families that are left behind.”
Tragedy still sits with Kyle Cummings, a former member of York County’s SWAT Team, who was shot during the 2018 incident in York.
York County officer shooting
“The situation was still active, and part of me, I wanted to go and help,” Cummings said of Monday afternoon’s Charlotte shootings.
Then he turned on the news at home and just watched.
“I kinda lay there, numb,” Cummings said.
Cummings understands the difficult path responding and now-grieving officers will go through.
“You may have survivor’s guilt, you may have to find a new normal,” Cummings said. “You may never be the same.”
Cummings is now 40 and pursuing a new career in nursing. Six years ago, he survived a gunshot wound to the left leg. Cummings had surgery after being shot and still can’t do things he used to do such as skateboard with his three children.
Police officers are generally hard-chargers in a “macho” world and don’t want to share their feelings with others, he said. Especially after something as life-changing as a shooting. But talking about it helps, he said.
“If you don’t talk to somebody and bottle your feelings inside, it can be ten times worse,” Cummings said.
Cummings said he has not been contacted by any groups to talk to wounded officers or others involved in Monday’s shooting, but would do so if asked.
“If I can help anyone get through this, I will do it,” Cummings said.
Twin brother killed
For one York County sheriff deputy, the loss from the 2018 shooting wasn’t like family. It was family.
Mike Doty’s twin brother, Sgt. Chris Doty, said Monday’s shooting in Charlotte brought back unwanted memories for him and his family. Chris Doty, who joined the sheriff’s office in 2004 two years before his brother, remains a deputy.
“Our family extends our thoughts and prayers to all that were involved in the incident on Monday,” he said Wednesday.
Chris Doty said he has spoken to some people from the Charlotte shooting to offer encouragement. He said days ahead will be difficult, especially for families and those close to the fallen, but a quiet time will come, Doty said.
“I encouraged them to keep strong, keep talking about the fallen,” Doty said.
Doty encouraged anyone associated with the Charlotte shootings to reach out - whether it is a fellow officer, spouse, pastor, mental health professional or a close friend.
‘How can I help?’
As of Wednesday, Back the Blue North Carolina had raised almost $106,000 for the surviving families of the officers killed Monday. The organization has a total goal of $250,000, according to its GoFundMe page. It’s not the only one. A fundraiser for fallen CMPD officer Joshua Eyer’s family reached $106,000. Another fundraiser has been organized by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 9.
LiCausi said she’s already heard from several people at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, who say they’re shocked and devastated.
“Aside from grief, what I’m also hearing from people is ‘How can I help?’” LiCausi said.
As of Wednesday, a total of 136 officers have been shot in the line of duty in 2024, 20 of whom were killed, according to the National Fraternal Order of Police. That’s on par with this time last year, but 10% higher than 2022.
First officer on the scene in York County
Randy Clinton of York was the first officer shot at the scene in 2018. Clinton’s left femur, the large bone in his upper leg, was shattered. The suspect, Christian McCall, was caught later that night and is serving life in a South Carolina prison.
Clinton said he was watching the news Monday and got teary-eyed. Clinton, now 62, retired a couple of years after the shooting with more than three decades in law enforcement.
“I am just at a loss for words,” Clinton said. “My heart hurts for them.”
As a retired officer, he wanted to be there to help in Charlotte, Clinton said. It was only because of his injuries to his leg that he later retired.
“You still have that urge, you are a public servant, we were trained to run to it, not from it. You just do it.” Clinton said. “You never caught nobody by giving up.”
Clinton said it is a sad period for the officers, their families and the Charlotte community.
Clinton said it is important for people involved to talk to others about what happened.
“You can get through it,” Clinton said. “But it is not an easy road doing it.”
Resources and support
‘SOUNDED LIKE VIETNAM OUT THERE': Charlotte residents describe shooting where officers killed
For those seeking support, organizations that offer free resources include:
Mental Health America of Central Carolinas (Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties and surrounding areas)
HopeWay (Charlotte)
