CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Family and friends gathered to say their goodbyes to fallen Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks on Monday, one week after he and three others were killed while serving warrants in east Charlotte.
The 13-year veteran of the U.S. Marshals Service was one of four men killed while serving arrest warrants at a home in east Charlotte on April 29. Five other officers were hurt during the incident, including three Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers. The suspect, a convicted felon with a long criminal history across North Carolina, was killed during the standoff.
Monday's service included multiple speakers who knew Weeks well, including two deputy U.S. marshals who served alongside him in North Carolina. Attorney General Merrick Garland also spoke, paying tribute to Weeks' bravery in the face of danger on the day he was killed.
Kelly Weeks also addressed the huge crowd, telling everyone their family was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support following her husband's death.
"He was a loving father. To not only his kids but also his stepchildren. He enjoyed everything from watching Patrick while he was performing to nightly good night hugs and 'I love you' to Abby," Weeks said.
Weeks, 48, lived in Mooresville. He was part of the Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force. He spent the last 10 years of his career in Charlotte. Before joining the U.S. Marshals Service, he spent eight years with Customs and Border Protection.
Throughout Monday's service, Weeks' colleagues and wife mentioned how he was an avid sports fan who loved his home state of Maryland. He was a big hockey fan and loved the Washington Capitals. Kelly Weeks joked that her husband would've been overjoyed that his celebration of life was being held where the Checkers play their home games.
Garland, who didn't know Weeks personally, used his time at the podium to praise the brave law enforcement officers who served on the U.S. Marshals task force, explaining that Monday's shooting is a reminder of just how dangerous their jobs are.
"On April 29, Tommy made the ultimate sacrifice," Garland said. "Their deaths stand as a stark reminder of the enormous risk our law enforcement officers face every day, even when making the relatively routine arrests they make every day. Every day, our law enforcement officers go to work knowing that day may be their last. Every day, their families send them off to work praying it will not be."
"I don't think words that describe the amount of pain that the Marshals Service and all of its members, the court family, law enforcement in general, this community and communities around the country are feeling," U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis said.
He is survived by his wife and four children. Weeks' body was escorted to Mooresville last week. Large crowds gathered along the route to pay their respects to a fallen hero.
"I get very emotional when something like this happens," one man said. "I cried my eyes out like a baby. It's a sad thing. They have the toughest job in the world. They go to work and never know if they're going to come home."
A memorial service to remember Task Force Officer Alden Elliott is scheduled on Thursday, May 9, at Tarlton Complex on the campus of Catawba Valley Community College, which is located at 2540 Highway 70 SE in Hickory. The service is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.