CHARLOTTE, N.C. — (WARNING: To help explain the day's events, limited scanner traffic was used but may may still be triggering for some)
As a gunman pinned down officers with rapid gunfire in April, killing four men, police displayed heroism that day, risking their own lives to try and save their fellow officers. Hundreds of them rushed to help in whatever way they could, but not all of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's on-duty officers responded on one of the city's darkest days and that's left some officers asking, "Why?"
In the aftermath of the deadly east Charlotte shootout that claimed the lives of Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks, Task Force Officers Alden Elliot and Sam Poloche and CMPD Officer Joshua Eyer, WCNC Charlotte has heard concerns from within CMPD about the actions of a few fellow officers. Despite WCNC Charlotte's repeated questions over the course of almost two months, a CMPD spokesperson has refused to explain in any detail what department records confirm: Why a dozen officers logged off the radio in the moments before and during the April 29 shooting.
"CMPD is not going to speculate as to why any individual logs off of his/her shift --- could be hundreds of different factors at play," CMPD Office of the Chief Director of Public Affairs Sandy D'Elosua Vastola said in an email to WCNC Charlotte Monday afternoon.
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WCNC Charlotte has covered the April 29 shooting extensively and with sensitivity and continues to ask the necessary questions about what happened that afternoon. This particular story, though, was not something WCNC Charlotte set out searching for from the start. In fact, it was a surprise when a source shared concerns some officers went silent on the radio while most showed great courage.
In the weeks after the most harrowing day in the department's history, CMPD Deputy Chief Tonya Arrington explained to WCNC Charlotte, generally, how colleagues respond when an "officer down" call comes over the radio.
"I don't know that there was any expectations," she said. "What I can tell you is when something like that happens, we're all going. Whether it was a white shirt, officers in plain clothes, officers in patrol, officers in specialized units, we were all going."
That is overwhelmingly what the public witnessed as police rushed to the scene, cleared traffic for the many ambulances and provided support at the hospital, but CMPD records show a dozen officers logged off the radio, one shortly before the first officer down call and the rest as gunfire continued over the next 30 minutes. It's unclear if the group, which records show included officers from several divisions and special units, heard the scanner traffic.
"Immediately, I give the benefit of the doubt to everybody, so I want to ask questions, 'What is the reason for the log off?'" former FBI agent and federal prosecutor M. Quentin Williams said. "Because, the expectation is everybody is there and even those who aren't on duty, I expect will be calling in to ask if they can come in and help."
Williams, who now runs a nonprofit that builds trust between law enforcement and the community, said responsiveness in this kind of situation is non-negotiable, as police are held to the highest standard.
"I'd like to hear the justification for what has happened with the log offs, and I hope that becomes clear very quickly, because it's unacceptable unless there is good justification," Williams said.
CMPD officers, whose identities WCNC Charlotte has agreed to protect, have expressed concerns to WCNC Charlotte about this very issue, understanding there may be excusable reasons like a family emergency or child care needs, but remain desperate for some kind of explanation.
"An officer is willing to put their own life in jeopardy for others, the community and their colleagues," Williams said. "If an officer feels that their colleagues aren't willing to do the same, that's a severe breakdown of the team."
Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker noted, when there's a major crime like the one on Galway Drive, not every officer needs to respond to the scene, and those who do, must do so in an orderly fashion. He gives the officers the benefit of the doubt too, but is calling for more overall openness from the CMPD administration in the wake of the shootout.
"I'll bet there's a reasonable explanation for most of those officers not responding or not reporting in on the radio," Swecker said. "I think a little bit more transparency might be good for the city. I think people would like to know what happened and make sure it doesn't happen again."
After officers shared concerns, WCNC Charlotte made repeated attempts to get an explanation from CMPD about the log offs, offering the agency, over the course of 57 days, the opportunity to discuss the situation on or off-camera. In a July 15 email, the department spokesperson called WCNC Charlotte's reporting "irresponsible" and a "slam job."
"You don't know what led to these actions," she said, in part. "And to speculate would be a travesty."
Again, these questions are a direct response from conversations WCNC Charlotte had with officers currently within the department. WCNC Charlotte does not know what led to some officers logging off. That is the reason why WCNC Charlotte has asked multiple times since May for more context, because officers themselves are requesting that information.
The same CMPD spokesperson also said over email, "To state that our organization has been less than transparent is a gross misstatement, and candidly. ... offensive."
In an effort to be fair, WCNC Charlotte attended Monday's CMPD news conference about mid-year crime statistics and asked to talk with the spokesperson off camera. During that conversation, WCNC Charlotte asked her directly how many of the officers listed had justifiable reasons for logging off on the afternoon of April 29.
"I can't tell you that," she said, citing the department's interpretation of state personnel law.
Contact Nate Morabito at nmorabito@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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