CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced Thursday that it will provide free homes to the families of four officers killed in the line of duty in Charlotte.
The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force was serving an arrest warrant at a home in east Charlotte on Monday when the officers were met with gunshots, investigators said. The suspect, who had a lengthy criminal record in North Carolina, shot multiple officers during the standoff.
Four of those officers died. They were identified as Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Joshua Eyer and North Carolina Department of Adult Correction officers Samuel Poloche and William "Alden" Elliott. Five other officers were injured during the operation.
"This unspeakable act of violence changed an entire city," Frank Siller, chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, said. "Four families now face a future without a husband and father and the city of Charlotte lost four guardians who spent decades working to keep the community safe."
To honor the fallen, Tunnel to Towers will pay off the mortgage or provide a mortgage-free home for the families. The organization's First Responder Home Program covers the cost of housing for families of law enforcement and firefighters who are killed in the line of duty or die from illnesses related to 9/11.
Tunnel to Towers isn’t the only nonprofit organization stepping up, a nonprofit out of Florida, Running 4 Heroes Inc., is also showing support, by running for the fallen officers and raising funds for their families.
“Hopefully this can just show that we have support across the whole country coming to Charlotte to honor these first responders,” Founder of Running 4 Heroes Inc., Zechariah Cartledge said.
Cartledge started the nonprofit when he was only 10 years old
“I think that it shows to the family and the department that they're not alone,” Cartledge said.
Multiple fundraisers have been started to support the families of the officers killed in Monday's shooting. WCNC Charlotte, iHeart Media Charlotte and Back the Blue NC are partnering to support the families of the fallen officers by donating during our phone bank Thursday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. or click the link to donate immediately.
If your loved one was impacted by this incident, WCNC Charlotte hopes to make this process less painful with our More Than A Number initiative. With your help, we want to share who your loved one was with our viewers in North Carolina and South Carolina. When you're ready, fill out the form below or send us photos, memories and other details about them to desk@wcnc.com.