Officer Joshua Eyer of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department was one of the four officers killed in the line of duty when attempting to serve a warrant on a felon in possession of a firearm in the Charlotte area. The officers were fired upon by a person inside the residence, leading to a horrific day for the police force.
In the gunfight that resulted after the resident opened fire, three other officers were killed. Those are Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks Jr. and North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (NCDAC) Officers Sam Poloche and William “Alden” Elliott. They were members of a United States Marshal Service fugitive task force sent after the gun-toting felon. Also during the firefight, another four officers were injured by gunfire.
Officer Eyer, who left behind a wife and a one-year-old son, was then honored with a procession and memorial in downtown Charlotte on Friday, May 3. During the memorial service, he was honored by the community and one of Eyer’s best friends spoke about him and his lifetime of service.
That longtime friend, Charlie Sardelli, said, Fox News Digital reports, during the memorial service, “What a beautiful experience it has been to see this community come together in support of the ones who chose every day to protect us, even though most of us don’t deserve it.”
Continuing, Sardelli further spoke about Eyer’s dedication to helping his community, saying that he’d give the “shirt from his back” to help those in need. “When he spoke to you, all he did was listen. . . . And if you needed the shirt from his back, he would have it off his body before you were done asking the question,” Sardelli said.
Continuing, Sardelli gave an example of Eyer’s dedication to service, saying, “When I was 20, my family lost our home, and I was with Josh when I got that phone call that my mom was on the street with my dog and a shopping cart full of her stuff. Josh didn’t just drop me off. He stayed. He spent eight to ten hours making sure my family’s things were taken care of.”
Sardelli also took the opportunity to remind people in the audience to frequently keep in touch with those they care about, saying, “As one who received them so regularly, they’ll mean more than you can ever imagine to the person on the other side.”
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Further, Officer Eyer’s widow, Ashley Eyer, said, “He was so, so good to me. I never have and never will question how much he loved me, and I will carry his love for me for the rest of my life. He loved all of you, too.” She added that the best way to honor Officer Eyer’s memory will be to teach their one-year-old son “who his daddy was and what he meant to each of you.” She added, “Joshua, thank you for giving me a beautiful life and our beautiful son. We won’t let you down, OK?”
Featured image credit: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department