MONROE, N.C. — Union County Communications received multiple phone calls notifying officials of shots fired in the area of East Jefferson Street and North Church Street in Monroe on Monday.
Officers responded to the area and were on scene within seconds of the initial calls being received and dispatched.
During the investigation, officers did not find anyone injured or suspects related to the shots fired calls.
“As a city and as a community, we should be caring more about one another,” said Monroe Police Chief Bryan Gilliard. “The July 4th holiday has long been a time to come together and celebrate the birth of American independence. The City of Monroe encourages all of its residents to come
together and enjoy these festivities each year. Last night, unfortunately, we experienced some unlawful and harmful behavior by a small fraction of folks in attendance.”
The Monroe Police Department say it had an additional 50 officers on duty during the July 4th festivities, including uniformed and plain clothes officers.
Even with the additional manpower, police say officers were faced with multiple incidents around the fireworks festivities that required increased response and
increased wait times for non-priority calls to be addressed.
