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Charlotte's deadliest police shootout: New timeline shows how 4 officers were killed over 20 minutes

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Charlotte's deadliest police shootout: New timeline shows how 4 officers were killed over 20 minutes

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A new timeline released Friday shows how four law enforcement officers were killed over the course of 20 minutes on April 29 while serving a search warrant in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Gunman Terry Hughes Jr., 39, killed Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks Jr., North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (NCDAC) Officers Sam Poloche and William “Alden” Elliott, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) Officer Joshua Eyer. Four other officers were wounded in the line of duty that Monday.

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“This is the deadliest attack on law enforcement in Charlotte’s history. It is one of the deadliest, single incident attacks on law enforcement across our country,” Daniel Redford, president of the Charlotte Fraternal Order of Police lodge, told Fox News Digital. “We’ve had to say goodbye to four heroes. If there’s anything we can learn from this incident, as we do with so many other incidents, to prevent this from happening again and save officers’ lives, first responders’ lives, that would be the only takeaway.”

Here’s the latest timeline of the shootout released by Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer B. Merriweather III as part of his investigation into 23 officers who returned fire at Hughes on April 29:

April 29, 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Between 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. that Monday, members of the U.S. Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force arrived at Hughes’ residence on Galway Drive in East Charlotte to serve a warrant for a felon in possession of a firearm. 

CHARLOTTE OFFICER KILLED IN LINE OF DUTY REMEMBERED IN MEMORIAL AS MAN WHO’D GIVE ‘THE SHIRT FROM HIS BACK’

(L-R) Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks, Investigator William “Alden” Elliott, Police Officer Joshua Eyer and Investigator Samuel “Sam” Poloche were killed in a police shootout in Charlotte, North Carolina on Monday, April 29, 2024. (U.S. Marshals Service via AP/NCDAC/Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department/Sean Rayford via AP/Getty Images)

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“For the officers that were on this task force that were showing up at this house on that morning, they’ve probably done it 100 times or more,” Redford said of the situation officers thought they were walking into that afternoon. “Similar … charges against the individuals to arrest. They’ve done it 100 to 200 times before, and it ended safely. You always keep in the back of your mind the dangers that you’re going into. But you can’t always think about the danger because then you’re not going to be able to think clearly if that’s all you’re focused on.”

“They’ve done it 100 to 200 times before, and it ended safely.”

— Daniel Redford

Hughes was standing in the threshold of the side door of his home when officers arrived at his home, which is located in a residential neighborhood near a public park.

CHARLOTTE POLICE CHIEF BREAKS DOWN REMEMBERING 4 SLAIN OFFICERS, SAYS SUSPECT HAD ‘EXTENSIVE’ CRIMINAL HISTORY

Charlotte officer crouch behind a police vehicle on Galway Drive

Charlotte residents were shocked after the deaths of four officers following a shootout on April 29, 2024. (Charlotte resident)

When he saw officers arrive at his home, Hughes — a career criminal — retreated inside, and task force members used a loudspeaker to announce their presence and demanded Hughes exit the residence, Merriweather wrote in a letter to CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings to explain the results of his investigation. Shortly afterward, Hughes opened fire with a “Radical Arms RF-15 rifle.”

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North Carolina public records show Hughes had previously been charged with eluding arrest, looting, marijuana possession and manufacturing, driving with an expired registration, driving while impaired and more out of several different counties. 

Hughes “then moved to fire from an upstairs side window and subsequently alternated between firing from the rear and side windows.”

Bullet holes seen on the siding of the house where the Charlotte shootout took place

More than 100 rounds were fired during the fatal Charlotte shootout. (Audrey Conklin/Fox News Digital)

Weeks was struck as he and Poloche took cover behind a tree in Hughes’ backyard while Hughes fired from his upstairs windows. Elliott and another task force member were then struck “at the fence line on the west side of the home.”

1:33 p.m.

Eyer — the only CMPD officer on the NCDAC task force — was positioned in the front of Hughes’ home and relayed to CMPD dispatch that shots had been fired and officers were down, Merriweather said. Eyer had access to a CMPD radio channel that task force members were not monitoring.

CHARLOTTE SHOOTING: 4 LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS KILLED, 4 INJURED AS US MARSHALS TASK FORCE SERVED WARRANT

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An officer holds a firearm on Galway Drive in Charlotte

Charlotte police responded to a deadly shootout on Galway Drive on April 29, 2024. (Charlotte resident)

1:35 p.m.

Just two minutes after Eyer called in the shooting and reported officers down, “the first of hundreds” of CMPD officers began to arrive at the scene to help the fallen officers.

CHARLOTTE SHOOTOUT: 4 SLAIN OFFICERS SERVING WARRANT HAD ‘GREAT DISADVANTAGE,’ EXPERT SAYS

“Officer Eyer and numerous other CMPD officers approached the rear of the decedent’s residence through the backyard of an abutting home, searching for a safe route to get to the three downed officers,” Merriweather wrote.

1:46 p.m.

About 10 minutes after calling for backup, Eyer and other officers went to the treeline in Hughes’ backyard where Weeks was struck by gunfire. Eyer and Poloche “were struck by additional shots fired by the decedent as they took cover behind this tree,” Merriweather said. 

The destroyed facade of the house on Galway Drive in Charlotte where a fatal shootout took place on Monday

The deadly shootout occurred at a house on Galway Drive in East Charlotte on April 29, 2024. (Audrey Conklin/ Fox News Digital)

“Three additional CMPD officers were also shot as they took cover in various locations behind the house,” the DA wrote.

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CHARLOTTE RESIDENTS SHOCKED AFTER 4 LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS DIE, 4 OTHERS INJURED IN SHOOTOUT

1:50 p.m.

Approximately 20 minutes after Hughes began firing, he jumped out of a second-story window on the front side of his house while still holding his AR-15.

“At 1:50:28 p.m., officers in front of the residence communicated over CMPD radio that the decedent was down,” Merriweather said. “Although officers in the rear of the residence received this information, officers on the side of the residence did not. Officers positioned in the backyard then began to evacuate TFO Poloche and Officer Eyer.”

The home where four law enforcement officers were killed remains destroyed in Charlotte, North Carolina

The home where four law enforcement officers were killed remains destroyed in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Four officers were killed in a shootout a day earlier while trying to serve a search warrant. (Audrey Conklin/Fox News Digital)

The officers on the side of the residence who did not receive communication that the gunman was down “attempted to reach the injured TFO on the fence line to render aid,” according to the DA.

At 1:50:42 p.m., while authorities were attempting to reach the injured officer, another officer saw movement in the upstairs side window where Hughes had been firing and shot a single bullet at the window.

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Redford, the local FOP president, said communication becomes an unintentional issue with officers from so many different agencies all responding to a large attack.

“Communication in a situation like this is one of the more important things to do because that’s how you relay dangers.”

— Daniel Redford

“That’s how you relay where you need to go to where you shouldn’t go to,” Redford explained. “The one thing we always find in these mass incidents like this is: officers are responding, and we end up unintentionally blocking roads. You have 100 police cars parked alongside the road, which makes it harder for paramedics, fire departments, stuff like that to get through.”

Kelly Weeks, the widow of slain Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks Jr., glances over at attendees of her husband's memorial service

Kelly Weeks, center, the widow of slain Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks Jr., glances over at attendees of her husband’s memorial service at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. on Monday, May 6, 2024. (Jeff Siner/The Charlotte Observer via AP)

1:50 to 2 p.m.

“Over the course of the next ten minutes, officers in the rear of the residence discharged cover fire at the rear window of the home as they evacuated [Poloche, Eyer and Weeks],” Merriweather wrote. “Officers on the side of the residence discharged cover fire as they evacuated the injured task force officer. At 1:59 p.m., CMPD officers used an armored utility vehicle to drive to the side fence line and evacuate [Elliott].”

2:39 p.m.

Hughes’ girlfriend calls 911 and tells dispatch she is hiding in a closet in his residence with her 17-year-old daughter.

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CHARLOTTE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO DIED IN SHOOTOUT IDENTIFIED: ‘FOREVER INDEBTED’

Police hug each other

Police console each other at the memorial to fallen CMPD officer Joshua Eyer at First Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, Friday, May 3, 2024. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)

2:20 to 8:25 p.m.

Elliott, Poloche, Weeks and Eyer were pronounced dead from the hospitals they were transported to over the course of the next six hours.

Merriweather ultimately cleared the officers who returned fire at Hughes of any wrongdoing after completing his investigation into the shootout, saying “there is no question that the 23 officers who returned fire during this lengthy encounter did so in defense of themselves and of their fellow officers.”

“This incident signifies the single deadliest assault on law enforcement in our community’s history,” the DA said in the conclusion of his letter to Jennings. “If law enforcement officers had not responded to an imminently deadly threat with lethal force, as difficult as it is to imagine, the outcome could have been even more catastrophic. Accordingly, this review finds that the use of deadly force by law enforcement officers, resulting in the death of Terry Hughes Jr., was justified under the law.”

Police hug each other

Police console each other at the memorial for fallen CMPD officer Joshua Eyer at First Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, Friday, May 3, 2024. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)

Jennings also responded to the DA’s findings, saying in an Aug. 1 statement that the four deceased officers “displayed the epitome of bravery” while assisting with the deadliest attack on officers in Charlotte’s history on April 29.

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“We will not forget their ultimate sacrifice for our community’s safety,” Jennings said. “I am extremely grateful to the dedicated members of our Homicide Unit, Crime Lab and Crime Scene Investigations as well as the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office who have carefully and meticulously reviewed approximately 1,100 videos and examined approximately 10,000 pieces of evidence.”

Redford noted that many of the officers who responded to the shootout on April 29 were not on duty that day.

“I think that shows you the dedication to law enforcement is that many of the officers who responded that day were on their days off, either at home somewhere with their family, caught wind of what was going on and put their uniforms on, got in their cars and drove into work, knowing they didn’t have to, but that they came in because that’s how important this was,” Redford said. “That’s how dedicated the men and women in this profession are to each other and to keeping our community safe.”

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Southeast

Fani Willis' disqualification from Trump case has 'overwhelming' impact, legal expert says

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Fani Willis' disqualification from Trump case has 'overwhelming' impact, legal expert says

George Washington University law professor Jonthan Turley said Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was “wrong” to bring the Georgia election interference case against President-elect Trump after a Georgia court disqualified Willis and her team from prosecuting the case on Thursday.

GEORGIA APPEAL COURT DISQUALIFIES DA FANI WILLIS AND HER TEAM FROM TRUMP ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE

JONATHAN TURLEY: The immediate impact of this decision is overwhelming in terms of Willis herself. I mean, this court is basically saying that these cases are not supposed to be sort of vanity projects. You know, you were told by the lower court that you created this appearance of impropriety and the question for the court is why you didn’t remove yourself. Many of us at the time said that most prosecutors would have seen that their continuation of the case was harming the case and harming the public interest. Willis simply refused to give up the ghost and insisted that she wanted to be the lead in this. 

She was wrong to bring the case against Trump. You know, there are some viable claims here. You know, she charged some people with unlawful entry or access to restricted areas. Those are not particularly serious crimes, but they are crimes. She was wrong to go after Trump on this basis. She clearly wanted to engage in lawfare, and that’s one of the reasons why she wouldn’t give up the case. You know, when this issue was first raised, many of us wrote at the time that the correct move was to remove yourself. You selected a former lover as the lead counsel. That violated, in my view, core ethical requirements. He was ultimately disqualified by the court. But Judge McAfee gave her a chance to do the right thing. He said, look, this is your conduct is wrong here and you can remove yourself. Well, he was talking to the wrong person. She had no interest in removing herself. I mean, lawfare is only valuable if you’re the lead warrior, and she was not going to give up that position. 

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Fani Willis — the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia — previously said the allegations brought against her of having an “improper” romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade were made because she is Black. (Getty Images)

The court did not toss Trump’s indictment entirely, but Willis and the assistant DAs working in her office now have “no authority to proceed.”

“After carefully considering the trial court’s findings in its order, we conclude that it erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office,” the filing states. “The remedy crafted by the trial court to prevent an ongoing appearance of impropriety did nothing to address the appearance of impropriety that existed at times when DA Willis was exercising her broad pretrial discretion about who to prosecute and what charges to bring.” 

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Trump said the “whole case has been a disgrace to justice.” 

“It was started by the Biden DOJ as an attack on his political opponent, Donald Trump,” he said, “They used anyone and anybody, and she has been disqualified, and her boyfriend has been disqualified, and they stole funds and went on trips.” 

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Trump said the case “should not be allowed to go any further.” 

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Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

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Fani Willis' reputation 'damaged' after disqualification from Trump case: Georgia reporter

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Fani Willis' reputation 'damaged' after disqualification from Trump case: Georgia reporter

Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Greg Bluestein told MSNBC on Thursday that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s reputation was “damaged” after a court disqualified her and her office from prosecuting President-elect Donald Trump in the election interference case against him.

“Her reputation is damaged, right? This was an unforced error as we said earlier, and, you know, this was all of her own doing, and now it unravels or might unravel one of the signature cases, not just of her career, but in Georgia. It leaves her damaged and it will be interesting to see what case she tries to make when she is expected to appeal this to the Georgia Supreme Court,” Bluestein told MSNBC’s Ana Caberra when asked about what was next for Willis.

The Georgia Court of Appeals on Thursday disqualified Willis and her team from prosecuting Trump and co-defendants in her election interference case. The court did not toss the indictment but declared that Willis and her team now have “no authority to proceed.” 

Bluestein noted that Willis had just won re-election in Georgia and that it wasn’t a surprise because Fulton County is a Democratic stronghold.

Reporter tells MSNBC Fani Willis’ reputation is damaged after she was disqualified from prosecuting the case against Trump. (Screenshot/MSNBC)

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 FANI WILLIS FACES NOTHING BUT SETBACKS IN CASE AGAINST TRUMP, THE LATEST PENDING WITH SUPREME COURT

“After carefully considering the trial court’s findings in its order, we conclude that it erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office,” the filing states. “The remedy crafted by the trial court to prevent an ongoing appearance of impropriety did nothing to address the appearance of impropriety that existed at times when DA Willis was exercising her broad pretrial discretion about who to prosecute and what charges to bring.” 

Bluestein said, “It is expected to be appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court, but this is a really decisive order against Fani Willis being able to continue this case.”

Willis, who was spearheading the sweeping prosection case against Trump, came under fire after she was accused in February of having an “improper” affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she had hired to help prosecute the case.

Wade was ultimately forced to step down from the prosecution team.

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Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seen in Atlanta.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seen in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer/Getty) (Alyssa Pointer)

JUDGE RULES FANI WILLIS MUST STEP ASIDE FROM TRUMP CASE OR FIRE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR NATHAN WADE

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Trump said the “whole case has been a disgrace to justice.” 

Trump additionally said that the case “should not be allowed to go any further.” 

Catherine Christian, a former assistant Manhattan district attorney, also weighed in on the disqualification on MSNBC.

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“But usually appellate courts defer to the lower court, the trial judge, who fashioned a remedy. He said Nathan Wade, the man she was having an affair with, had to leave so the office could stay, and this court has said, nope. This court said that Judge MacAfee did not really appreciate that her decision-making wasn’t just the indictment. It was who to charge, how to charge it, and that’s at the time when this alleged romantic relationship was going on, and they said that also was one of the reasons why they think it’s more than an appearance of impropriety. It’s a conflict of interest, and not just her, the entire office is disqualified,” Christian said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Fani Willis’ office for comment.

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Navy wife goes viral for surprising husband with hunting trip after his 3-year deployment

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Navy wife goes viral for surprising husband with hunting trip after his 3-year deployment

A Navy aviator was in for a surprise after returning home ahead of Christmas from his third deployment in three years.

Patrick Brennan of western Kentucky has been stationed in Japan since the spring of 2022, serving as a weapon systems officer in an F/A-18 fighter aircraft.

His wife, Cecilia Brennan, told Fox News Digital that her husband often shares with her how he misses his friends and hobbies, specifically hunting.

FLORIDA ARTIST’S PATRIOTIC ANDY WARHOL PIECE FEATURED AT POPULAR EVENT DRAWING THOUSANDS OF VISITORS

Brennan said her husband even mentioned planning a hunting trip sometime next year or in 2026 but that he never expected to take one this year.

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Patrick Brennan was surprised with a hunting trip with his friends after returning home from being stationed in Japan. (Cecilia Brennan)

“I was catching up with his best friends and keeping them in the loop. They told me they were going on their yearly duck hunting trip to Fowl Plains Outfitter. They were thinking about driving from their home in Virginia to Kansas, and I asked if they would want to stop by in Kentucky,” Brennan said.

Fowl Plains Outfitters is located in Great Bend, Kansas, offering duck and goose hunts.

“Turns out, the same time they would be driving through Kentucky happened to be the same time my husband would be back from deployment. I asked if they could make room for one more. It was God’s perfect timing,” Brennan said.

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She packed all of his clothes and hunting gear and “gifted” his belongings to him for Christmas.

Kentucky couple Patrick Brennan Navy soldier goes viral

Cecilia Brennan told her husband his friends were just stopping by before surprising him with a hunting trip. (Cecilia Brennan)

In a video posted to her Instagram, which reached 1.5 million views, Brennan captured the moment she tricked Patrick and told him his friends were stopping at their home to “drop something off.”

The serviceman’s friends are seen entering the house decked out in their hunting gear.

After catching up with the men, Cecilia Brennan takes out her husband’s suitcase to reveal that he is also going on the trip.

“Having his best friends knock on the door was a surprise enough, but to actually be going with him, he was in shock. I still can’t believe we pulled it off,” she said.

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Patrick embarked on a five-day trip with his best friends for duck hunting.

Kentucky couple Patrick Brennan Navy soldier goes viral

‘After all he has sacrificed, he more than deserves a chance to relax and recharge before he dives head-first into family life,’ said Cecilia. (Cecilia Brennan)

Cecilia and Patrick Brennan have a 6-month-old daughter, and Cecila said that for the majority of the year, she and her husband had been apart due to his service to America.

“After all he has sacrificed, he more than deserves a chance to relax and recharge before he dives head-first into family life,” she said.

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She added that she is her husband’s biggest fan, and that includes supporting his hobbies.

“Nothing brings me more joy than knowing he’s happy. And now, we will be having duck for Christmas.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Fowl Plains Outfitters for comment.

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