Man Charged in Slaying of 2 Charlotte Police Officers

Charlotte — A suspect was charged with murder Sunday, less than 24 hours after two Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers were fatally shot during a domestic disturbance call at an apartment complex.

Demetrius Antonio Montgomery, 25, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, said police spokesman Officer Bob Fey.

"This is an ongoing investigation," the spokesman said when asked if there were other suspects.

The two officer were shot late Saturday during a struggle outside an apartment complex and died early Sunday.

Sean Clark, 34, and Jeffrey Shelton, 35, were the first officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg department fatally shot in the line of duty in more than a decade.

"It's a real tragedy for us, the officers, for the families, for the communities, that we've lost two in one incident," said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Darrel Stephens.

Stephens said the two officers were responding to a disturbance call around 10:30 p.m. Saturday night at the apartment complex in east Charlotte. They were shot around 11:15 p.m. in the parking lot during a struggle. Neither fired their weapon, Stephens said.

Clark and Shelton were taken to Carolinas Medical Center, where they later died. Clark had been with the police department for a year, and Shelton had worked there since 2001.

Police blocked a road near the apartment complex for several hours overnight. Police used patrols, a helicopter, K-9 units and a SWAT team during the search.

"We have an enormous number of questions in our minds about what happened, and how it happened, that we don't have the answers to right now," said Stephens, adding later, "We don't have suspects at this point."

Both officers were married. Clark, a 1991 graduate of West Mecklenburg High School who had worked for the department for a little more than a year, and his wife were expecting a child. Shelton was a six year veteran of the force.

A Charlotte officer was last shot and killed on duty in 1993, when officers John Burnette and Andy Nobles died while chasing Alden Harden through a wooded section of southwest Charlotte, The Charlotte Observer reported on its Web site. Harden was convicted a year later and is one of 166 inmates on North Carolina's death row.

Last year, Officer Kayvan Hazrati survived when he was shot in the head while trying to serve a rape warrant in north Charlotte. He has yet to return to work.







"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."