‘Like war zone’: Neighbors share experiences of shootout that killed 4 officers in east CLT
“It looked like a tractor had torn it down. It’s real bad.”
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - One day after an attempt to serve a fugitive a warrant at a home in east Charlotte left four law enforcement officers dead, neighbors share their experiences from the chaotic afternoon.
The shootout started Monday afternoon after members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force tried to serve felony warrants for Terry Clark Hughes Jr. at a home on Galway Drive. At the time, Hughes had warrants out from Lincoln County for possession of a firearm by a felon and two counts of felony flee to elude.
“It’s like a war zone…It’s crazy,″ said next-door neighbor Saing Chhoeun of the hours of terror.
Chhoeun said he hid out in his living room, watching through the blinds as officers drove an armored vehicle through his yard while bullets flew.
“There are cops and officers saying on microphone: ‘One down. One, 2. Three down.’ [I said,] like, ‘do your job. [You all] forget about me. I’m safe. Don’t worry about me.’″
Chhoeun said law enforcement were using his house as a shield; standing in his side and back yards. At one point, he said two US Marshals came inside his home.
“They were gunning through my window. I say, ‘You don’t do that in my house! Why you come in my house?’ You know? ‘You gonna shoot through my house!’″ recounted Chhoeun.
It was chaos in his neighborhood that came as a surprise after years of being neighborly.
He explained next door during, “holiday[s] like Thanksgiving, we give them food. And all that, yeah...We talked a lot with the one of the girls talk a lot. They would come out, we talked a lot.”
However, he said a few months ago Hughes moved in with the women next door.
“He hid himself in the house all the time. I saw him. He hardly, you know, stay outside. He go back inside,″ explained Chhoeun.
While the investigation continues, he said he hopes this tragedy will serve as a lesson.
“It’s sad for those officer that you know lost their lives in the backyard,” said Chhoeun. “They need to learn from this for safety for all law enforcement.”
Other neighbors who live further from the home told WBTV the neighborhood was mostly a quiet street until the past few years when they started hearing gunshots at random hours.
“I would say, at least ten times in the past three years that I have had to call Charlotte PD from hearing multiple gunshots,” explained one woman. “It’s still very unsettling to hear those noises. Sometimes in the middle of the day, a lot of time at night.”
Neighbors told WBTV they hope the tragedy bonds them together, causes them to get to know each other more and soon brings back a sense of safety to the neighborhood.
For those looking for information on how to donate to the families of the four fallen officers or to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation you can click here.
Contributions will be directed either to the family or as specified. Please indicate in the PayPal comment section how you would like your donations to be allocated.
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Joshua Eyer
- Department of Adult Corrections Officer Sam Poloche
- Department of Adult Corrections Officer William Elliott
- Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks
- To the law enforcement agencies for Wellness Resources
For those wishing to send personal gifts, cards, or item donations, they can be delivered or mailed to 601 E. Trade Street, Charlotte, NC, with attention to CMPD Human Resources. Rest assured, all items received will be promptly delivered to the families in need. For any inquiries, please reach out to CMPD HRD at 704.336.5320
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