Then, suddenly, everything went quiet.  Why?

We all know why; because this has happened so many times in the past and the outcome is now laughably predictable.  The eventual reveal of the alleged assailant’s identity derailed progressive gun control efforts.  His race and background did not fit the narrative mold that Democrats are looking for (the unhinged white male gun nut, preferably conservative).

Terry Clark Hughes Jr. already had a long rap sheet in North Carolina well before he killed four police officers this past week in Charlotte.  With multiple warrants spanning several years as well as being involved in a high speed chase in January of 2024, Hughes should have been buried in the prison system for a very long time.  Sadly, this was not the case – North Carolina is a blue state and Charlotte is a Democrat run city notorious for its soft treatment of repeat criminals.

Vi Lyles, the Mayor of Charlotte since 2017, is the city’s first black female mayor and a Democrat.  The city council is predominantly progressive and has been pursuing “defund the police” measures since 2020.  And this is the kind of political environment that you will consistently find in nearly every city in the US with high crime rates and mass shootings.  It’s not a theory, it’s a rule.

Since at least 2017 Charlotte has been suffering from what many residents call a “revolving door” when it comes to prosecutions and prisons.  Critics have accused the city leadership of engaging in “high profile arrests and low profile releases” in order to keep crime stats down.  This includes a myriad of sex offenders and violent criminals set free in the past few years, only to have them victimize even more people not long after.

For example, only two weeks ago Shareef Sudan Thompson, 36, was released from jail on bond despite facing charges in a violent stabbing last week in Uptown Charlotte.  Local journalists discovered he has an extensive criminal history and police continue to question why extremely dangerous offenders are treated with such accommodations.  City officials offer no clear answers, except to suggest that the bond system is to blame.

After the election of Vi Lyles, Charlotte soon rose through the ranks of most violent cities in the nation.  It recently jumped to a list of the top 15 cities in the US with the fastest growing homicide rates.

Leftists and gun control advocates blame guns every time there’s a high profile shooting, yet they conveniently ignore the history of the shooters and who is in charge of the cities and criminal policies the shootings take place in.  The Democrat policy of catch and release when it comes to the worst possible criminals is the biggest contributor by far to violent assaults and murders across the country.

Roughly half of all crimes in the US are perpetrated by a small percentage of offenders with pervasive criminal histories.  Locking these people up for extended sentences should be the primary solution to the problem, but progressives absolutely refuse.  Most likely, these releases are designed to obscure a growing crime epidemic in blue cities across the country.  Meaning, if we want shootings like the one in Charlotte, NC to stop, Democrat officials must be removed from power first.

During a press briefing on Monday evening, authorities revealed that the individual targeted by the warrant, later identified as 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes Jr., initiated the gunfire. Hughes, who was also wanted for two counts of felony flee to elude in Lincoln County, North Carolina, was killed in the ensuing exchange.

Investigators believe there may have been two shooters involved, and as a result, two persons of interest – a 17-year-old and a woman – have been taken to the police station for questioning.

“We have two people of interest at the police station that are being questioned right now,” said Police Chief Johnny Jennings during the press conference. “And we have confirmed that the individual that was set up that we were serving the warrant on was the individual who fired the initial shots and was deceased in the front yard at the end of all of this.”

Three officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force – one deputy and two task force officers – were killed in the shootout. Later that evening, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) confirmed that an officer from its department also succumbed to his injuries.

Officer Joshua Eyer has passed away tonight from his injuries after being shot in the line of duty this afternoon while assisting other officers with the apprehension of a suspect. Officer Eyer faithfully served the CMPD’s North Tryon Division for six years and was a member of… pic.twitter.com/TwrINLkJUT

— CMPD News (@CMPD) April 30, 2024

In total, eight law enforcement officers were shot. Three CMPD officers and a U.S. Marshals Task Force officer sustained injuries and are currently recovering.

Before the fourth death was announced, Police Chief Jennings described the incident as “the most tragic one that I’ve been involved in.”

“I’ve been with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for 32 years. I can’t remember an incident where three law enforcement officers were [injured] and also three that were killed in the same incident,” he said.

The CMPD initially reported that “numerous” officers were shot at the scene in the 5000 block of Galway Drive, which is in the Shannon Park neighborhood. All injured officers were transported to hospitals. At 2:23 p.m., a SWAT team arrived at the scene, and residents were urged to stay inside their homes.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper confirmed that his office was aware of the shooting and offered state resources to assist.

Former FBI special agent in charge and Fox News contributor Nicole Parker spoke to Fox News Digital about the situation, emphasizing the bravery of the officers on the U.S. Marshals Task Force. She called for Americans to support law enforcement officers, stating, “We must restore full support, respect, and honor to those who courageously wear the badge every day and fearlessly carry out their duties.”

Article generated from corporate media reports.