The wife of one of the fallen North Carolina police officers killed in a shootout while serving a warrant to a suspect is pleading for everyone touched by her husband’s impact to “help me teach [our son] about how his daddy was.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Joshua Eyer, 31, was killed Monday in what Chief Johnny Jennings said was the worst shooting of law enforcement he had seen during his 30 years on the job, Breitbart News reported.
Sam Poloche and William Elliott of the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections and Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks were also fatally shot while attempting to arrest a man for allegedly possessing a firearm as a felon at his home in Charlotte, according to the Associated Press.
Four other officers were shot and injured, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) announced in a press release.
The home at 5525 Galway Drive is the site where three members of the U.S. Marshals task force were killed on April 29, 2024, when they were serving a warrant in east Charlotte, North Carolina. CMPD Officer Joshua Eyer died from wounds suffered at the scene Monday evening. (Jeff Siner/The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“Eyer, a six-year veteran, fought for his life for several hours before succumbing to his injuries,” officials said.
His wife, Ashley Eyer, admitted it may be a bad idea to speak publicly so soon after her husband’s passing, but she delivered a passionate eulogy at his funeral anyway.
“He was so good to me,” Ashley said, according to WCNC. “I never have and I never will question how much he loves me. I will carry his love with me for the rest of my life.”
The pair share a three-year-old son, Andrew, who will grow up without a father.
Telling the crowd how much Eyer loved his fellow officers, friends, and family, Ashley made a heartfelt request.
“Being a father was undoubtedly his most cherished role,” she said through tears. “All of this has been amazing and such an honor to our family … So if you really want to honor him, please help me by maintaining his legacy through Andrew. Help me teach him about how his daddy was and what he meant to each of you.”
CMPD shared pieces of Ashley’s remarks and other touching tributes from Office Eyer’s colleagues on social media: