GREENSBORO, N.C. — Monday will go down in history as one the deadliest days for the U.S. Marshals and its Task Forces in more than 150 years, aside from the 9/11 attacks when 60 Marshals were killed.
Four law enforcement officers were killed in an east Charlotte shooting on Monday, three of them were with a U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and one was with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
The U.S. Marshals Museum displays the names of the Deputies, Marshals, and Guards killed in the line of duty. There are more than 200 names on the list.
The very first Marshal killed in the line of duty was in 1794. He was attempting to serve civil papers. Robert Forsyth is believed to be the very first law enforcement officer ever killed in the line of duty in the U.S. But the deadliest day in U.S. Marshal history (again, aside from 9/11) came in 1872 when six Marshals were killed in Oklahoma in an ambush. Two more Marshals were shot that day and died one day later.
The last U.S. Marshall to be killed in the line of duty was Jose Gomez in 2022. More names will be listed after Monday's shooting in Charlotte.
"I don't think words can describe the amount of pain that the U.S. Marshals Service and law enforcement in general, this community, are feeling with this loss. I'm going to ask the men and women of the Marshals Service to commit to the steadfast job that you do and know and witness the amount of support we are getting right now and we are appreciated for it," said the Honorable Ron L. Davis, Director of U.S. Marshal Service.
Davis reminded everyone that right now there are hundreds of Deputies and Task Force members around the country who are working to remove violent offenders from our cities.
"It wasn't just a bad day for the community, it was a loss for the entire country," said Davis.