‘One of the greatest’: Friends mourn CMPD officer killed in east Charlotte shootout

CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is mourning the loss of one of its officers and three other law enforcement officers after a deadly shootout Monday afternoon.

CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings said late Monday night that officer Joshua Eyer was one of the people killed by a suspect in east Charlotte. Three members of the U.S. Marshals task force were also killed in the standoff.

Eyer had joined CMPD in October of 2017, according to the department.

He came equipped with plenty of experience in policing. Before joining CMPD, he had served as a military police officer in the Army National Guard, including at least one deployment to Afghanistan, according to his Facebook profile. The 211th Military Police Company posted a statement on Facebook remembering Eyer’s service, saying “he will be sorely missed.”

Just a week ago, Eyer was featured on CMPD’s Facebook page after earning Officer of the Month for the North Tryon Division.

Congratulations to our April employees of the month! Last week, these employees were honored for their dedication and...
Posted by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department on Monday, April 22, 2024

Jennings said Eyer is survived by his wife, Ashley, and 3-year-old son, Andrew.

‘Above and beyond’

As a shattered community is honoring Eyer’s life, his friends and colleagues are remembering the respectful and honorable man he was.

Vermanno Bowman served alongside Eyer in the North Carolina Army National Guard, and he told Channel 9′s Hunter Sáenz that Eyer was someone he could depend on.

“He was always a person who had my back, whether it was in the military or civilian life,” Bowman said.

Bowman told Sáenz that Eyer deployed overseas twice during his military service.

“He always was putting himself above and beyond the rank that he had on his chest,” Bowman said. “He will always go down as one of the greatest in my eyes.”

Daniel Redford is the president of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police and a fellow CMPD officer. He told Sáenz that the FOP is paying tribute to all of the officers killed and supporting the families of the fallen.

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Fallen officer memorial Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Joshua Eyer was shot and killed on April 29, 2024, during a shootout at an east Charlotte home. A memorial at the North Division headquarters was set up to honor Eyer.

“We have four families now whose loved ones are never going to walk through that door again,” Redford said.

At the FOP is a wall of honor, remembering all of the officers killed in the line of duty in Mecklenburg County.

“Unfortunately, we will have to add four more faces and names to this wall,” Redford said.