CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Thursday night, a vigil was held at Weeping Willow AME Zion Church to honor the four fallen officers killed in an ambush earlier this week in Charlotte.
Music filled the church as people gathered and held hands. City leaders showed up to pay their respects and grieved with the community. Charlotte Fire Department Chief Reginald Johnson held back tears and spoke to the crowd.
"There are some broken first responders out there," he said. "You can see it in their faces."
"This gathering is a place where we can lean on each other," Charlotte City Councilwoman Majorie Molina said. "As a community. As Charlotte.”
Monday's ambush happened as officers who were part of a U.S. Marshals Regional Task Force tried to serve a warrant on a man accused of possession of a gun as a felon. Gunfire erupted as the suspect took aim at the task force. Four members - a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer, two state Department of Adult Corrections officers, and a U.S. Marshal - died in the line of duty. Five other officers on the task force were also hurt.
In the wake of the ambush, people across the Charlotte area and beyond have poured in their support. On Thursday, Tunnel to Towers announced it would pay off the mortgages for the families of the fallen officers. The Charlotte Knights baseball team also wore CMPD hats to honor the officers.
CMPD Officer Joshua Eyer's memorial service is on Friday at 10 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Uptown.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.