PICTURED: Firearms felon Terry Clark Hughes who opened fire on Charlotte cops as they came to arrest him setting off gun fight that left 4 officers dead and 4 more wounded

Firearms felon Terry Clark Hughes has been revealed as the suspect who opened fire at cops at a North Carolina home as they came to arrest him, after he set off a gun fight that left four officers dead and four more wounded.

The suspect had a lengthy criminal history and was wanted for possession of a firearm by felon, and felony flee to elude out of Lincoln County, before he was shot dead on Monday, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.

But Hughes was not the only shooter, CMPD Police Chief Johnny Jennings said in a news conference.

‘When [officers] approached Hughes they were met by gunfire and returned the gunfire, striking Hughes, who was found deceased in a yard’, Jennings said.

Officers then received ‘additional gunfire’ from within the residence, but it is not yet clear whose bullets struck which officers, and how many cops were hit overall.

The identity of the second shooter also remains unclear as Charlotte cops continue their investigation into the horror gun fight, but they have stated that a woman and a teen, 17, who were found in the home following the shootout are being questioned. 

‘On Monday, April 29, 2024, an armed suspect opened fire on law enforcement officers in the 5000 block of Galway Drive in the North Tryon Division,’ police wrote in an April 29 news release.

‘The deceased suspect has been identified as Terry Clark Hughes, Jr, 39,’ police wrote. WSOC-TV reporter Joe Bruno confirmed that the mugshot is Hughes Jr on X, formerly Twitter, this morning. 

‘Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers were shot, one of which succumbed to his injuries. Additionally, four officers from the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force were shot, three of which succumbed to their injuries,’ CMPD wrote.    

Three of the four officers that were killed in the shooting have been identified. 

Samuel ‘Sam’ Polche, William ‘Alden’ Elliot and Charlotte police officer Joshua Eyer died Monday following the horror shooting as they tried to serve warrant. Both Polche and Elliot were North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections officers working with the US Marshal’s office. 

The US Marshal killed in the attack has not been named. 

The US Marshals Service wrote in a statement on Facebook: ‘Our hearts are heavy tonight for the lives shattered by today’s horrific shooting in Charlotte, NC. 

‘We mourn the loss of our Deputy and two Task Force Officers. 

‘We are grateful for all the support, and we keep the families and colleagues of all officers involved, in our thoughts.’

A woman and a 17-year-old boy were found in the home after the three-hour standoff that included armored vehicles crashing into the suburban home in a tree-lined neighborhood and tearing off doorways and windows.

Several cops were injured trying to help rescue their fallen officers when they were wounded. 

‘Today is an absolute tragic day for the city of Charlotte and for the profession of law enforcement,’ Jennings said, according to WRAL. ‘Today we lost some heroes that are out to just simply try to keep our community safe.’

One other member of the task force, which is made up of federal agents and other officers from across the region, was injured. 

Locals within the neighborhood spoke of the chaos that unraveled, with one telling The Charlotte Observer: ‘All of a sudden it sounded like Vietnam out there’.   

He added that at around 3.45pm, there was an estimated 30 or 40 police cars at the scene, stating that whoever was in the house was still there.

Neighbors said gunfire continued for several minutes after the shooting erupted.

One more local who has lied in the east Charlotte neighborhood for almost five years told WXII12 that ‘cops, sheriffs, state troopers were flying down the expressway’.

‘My brother was home. I had friends and neighbors next door that were calling and texting me, and they heard it,’ he added. 

‘They said it sounded more like a movie than kind of what you’re accustomed to.’ 

WSOC-TV showed from a helicopter the incredible scene that showed an armored vehicle driving through yards and knocked over recycling bins before officers removed a person with blood on their shirt who was then loaded into an ambulance.

After the home was cleared, the station’s helicopter pilot said he couldn’t show the front lawn of the home because the scene was too disturbing.

Several armored vehicles were on nearby lawns and driveways of the older suburban neighborhood of a tree-lined street with brick homes. 

A shattered window, blinds torn, was in a street and a entire doorway was leaning against of one of the vehicles.

Many roads in the area, including Interstate 77, were closed so ambulances could get to hospitals faster. 

TV footage showed ambulances speeding to hospitals with several vehicles with sirens on both in front and behind them.

Kiashia Williams was driving home when she heard several shots separated by a few seconds.

‘Ambulances, police and everything everywhere just started rushing down,’ said Williams as she waited in her car to be allowed to go home and check on her daughter, who broadcast what she saw on social media.

Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools were placed on lockdown around afternoon dismissal, but that was lifted in the late afternoon, the district said.

Police urged people to stay away from the neighborhood and asked residents to remain inside their homes.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said he was in contact with law enforcement in Charlotte and offered any state resources to help.

The last US Marshal shot and killed in the line of duty was in November 2018. Chase White was shot in Tucson, Arizona, by a man wanted for stalking local law enforcement officers, the agency said. 

The Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force is headquartered in Charlotte with 70 federal, state and local agencies. 

Fugitive task forces are collaborations between agencies to find and arrest suspects in crimes.

In six years, the regional task force has apprehend more than 8,900 fugitives, the US Marshals Service said on its website.

In March 2007, two Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers were killed responding to a domestic dispute by someone not directly involved in the fight. 

Demeatrius Antonio Montgomery is serving a life sentence in the killings of officers Jeffrey Shelton and Sean Clark.