CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As investigators continue to piece together exactly what led to the shooting deaths of four law enforcement officers and wounding of five other officers on April 29 in east Charlotte, a WCNC Charlotte review of scanner traffic reveals officers took on gunfire for at least 18 minutes.
Police said a U.S. Marshals Service task force was trying to serve a warrant on Terry Clark Hughes, Jr. on Galway Drive when the man spotted them as they approached the front of the house. Hughes started shooting from an upstairs window before officers reached the house, officials claim.
Audio recordings of police radio communications, which are often referred to as scanner traffic, reveal gunfire trapped injured officers from getting immediate help and even continued from somewhere else in the house after the shooter had already died.
WCNC Charlotte investigative reporter Nate Morabito listened to roughly two hours of publicly available scanner traffic to provide context to what may have happened during the deadly incident. WCNC Charlotte is sharing only portions of the scanner traffic and has altered officers' voices in an effort to be especially sensitive to their privacy.
1:32 p.m. - First call
Scanner traffic pinpoints 1:32 p.m. on April 29 as the time when the first call for back-up came in, notifying dispatch of an officer down. Within just a few minutes, officers said multiple rounds were being fired.
1:35 p.m. - 2 officers injured
"I got two officers down on Galway Drive," an officer said over the radio. "I need help."
Dispatch responded by saying officers from all of CMPD's divisions citywide were being sent. Law enforcement officers on-scene continued sharing information including that a man was shooting at them from a window.
1:36 p.m. - Emergency responders, SWAT dispatched
1:42 p.m. - Officers pinned down by gunfire
All of the officers who suffered gunshot wounds were shot on the side of the house, according to the recordings, which is where officers said the shooter was firing from.
"I need smoke or armor behind the house, to the [right] side of the target house," an officer said just before 1:42 p.m. "That's where the officers are down. I have eyes on them but cannot get to them."
"Hey, we're coming," someone replied. "Just standby. Just get in a good hard position. We're coming."
The scanner traffic suggests gunfire stopped at times.
1:46 p.m. - 4 officers down
"We got another officer hit ... " an unidentified voice said at 1:46 p.m. "I've got four officers down. Four officers down. Nobody come on the [right] side of the house ... He's firing that way."
As officers continued to suffer injuries, fellow police officers called for patrol cars. Responding officers used at least one vehicle to get an officer out.
1:50 p.m. - Shooter firing out of window, goes down
"He's shooting rifle rounds," an officer said just before 1:50 p.m. "He's shooting rifle rounds."
Despite them saying the "target's down," officers said they noticed additional gunfire.
"Target's down," an officer said just after 1:50 p.m. "Additional shots from inside the house."
2:03 p.m. - Gunfire continues despite suspect being shot
"The guy in the front yard is down, and there's somebody inside shooting," an officer said at 2:03 p.m.
Police continued evacuating injured officers. They asked for widespread help with traffic control as ambulances quickly drove injured officers to the hospital.
2:08 p.m. - Officers rescued
The scanner traffic reveals they continued rescuing officers until at least 2:08 pm. An officer reported all officers appeared to have arrived at hospitals by 2:40 pm.
2:40 p.m. - Call from inside the house
Around that same time, a woman called 911 and said she and her teenage daughter were still inside the home. She told the dispatcher they were hiding and were unsure if somebody else was in the home.
"Caller says her daughter's hiding in the closet," the dispatcher said on the recordings.
With the SWAT team warned, officers confirmed there was someone else shooting at them.
"Was there anybody else inside the house? Shots were fired once that subject was down, because we're getting conflicting reports?" someone asked.
"100% brother," an officer responded. "100% brother."
"We were at the back at that time. That is correct," another officer said. "We were still being shot at."
CMPD kept the neighborhood closed for hours citing the ongoing standoff.
Initially, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said police believed there were two shooters, but then walked that back, saying they're not ruling out that possibility, but continue to investigate. Beyond those two people, Jennings said police also found an AR-15 rifle and handgun at the home.
WCNC Charlotte located the woman who called 911. So far, she has not returned WCNC Charlotte's call.
Contact Nate Morabito at nmorabito@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.