CMPD, widows remember fallen officers one year later

CHARLOTTE, N.C – April 29th, 2025 marks one year since four officers were gunned downed in the line of duty while serving a warrant in East Charlotte.

The deadly incident unfolded at a home on Galway Drive when a US Marshal Task Force attempted to serve a warrant to a felon in a home. When the suspect refused to comply he shot at officers which triggered a more than three hour long standoff in the Shannon Park neighborhood. Where eight officers were injured and four were killed. Ashley Eyer’s husband CMPD officer Joshua Eyer was killed in the ambush. She and the other widows say they are still grieving.

“Sometimes all you can do is sit in the pain and let it wash over you,” Eyer said. “But please do me a favor and sit together as time passes. I know this community will never forget.”

Over the last year, CMPD says it has rolled out a wellness program that offers free therapy to officers.

“You can’t hide from pain and trauma, but you can help deal with it by seeking counseling, by talking to one another, making it more open,” Deputy Chief Zeru Chickoree from Charlotte Mecklenburg Police said.

The department also applauds Charlotte City Council for approving outer carrier vests to help protect officers and lighten the load of their gear.

“From city council stepping up and helping us out when we need equipment, when we need training, when we need more police officers. It’s the citizens that drive that,” Deputy Chief Chickoree said.

As loved ones continue to cope with the loss of CMPD officer Joshua Eyer, Deputy US Marshal Tommy Weeks and Department of Corrections investigators Sam Poloche and Alden Elliott, some widows say they’re holding on to happy memories.

“Remember them as fathers, husbands, sons, brothers and friends. Remember their laughs and their little quirks. Remember that you loved them long before you lost them,” Ashley Eyer said.

WCCB asked CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings to do an interview with us about the April 29th ambush. His office declined saying, “Given the magnitude of this event and the trauma involved in reliving it, the chief has been selective in choosing which agencies to engage with.”

The department did make their own documentary about the officers on YouTube.