President Biden consoles families of law-enforcement officers gunned down in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE – President Joe Biden reprised his familiar role as consoler-in-chief on Thursday as he met privately with the families of four police officers killed in a shooting earlier this week in North Carolina.

Biden was already scheduled to travel to Wilmington, North Carolina, to deliver a speech on rebuilding infrastructure and creating good-paying jobs. The White House added a stop to Charlotte to his itinerary.

Biden met with family members at the North Carolina Air National Guard base, situated at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, where Biden stopped for more than two hours during his North Carolina swing. It was not immediately clear how long Biden met with the families.

The four officers were killed Monday when a gunman with a high-powered rifle opened fire on them from the second floor of a residence while a task force made up of officers from several agencies was attempting to serve a felony warrant in Charlotte. Multiple officers were hit, and the other task force members called in reinforcements.

As local police arrived and began to rescue the downed task force members, more gunfire came from the house and additional officers were struck, police said.

Killed were Sam Poloche, 42, and Alden Elliot, 46, both with the state's Department of Adult Correction; Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks Jr., 48, of Mooresville, North Carolina; and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Officer Joshua Eyer, 31.

Four other officers were wounded in the attack.

More: Investigators continue piecing together Charlotte shooting that killed 4 officers

The gunman, identified as 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes Jr., exited the house with a firearm and was shot by police. He was pronounced dead on the front lawn.

In a statement on Monday, Biden described the fallen officers as “heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice, rushing into harm’s way to protect us.” The death of a police officer is “like losing a piece of your soul,” he said.

Biden's meeting with the families of the slain officers in Charlotte also included officers wounded in the shooting, along with other law enforcement officers and elected officials.

Biden has been forced to take on the role of consoler-in-chief multiple times during his presidency, comforting the families of hurricanes, tornados and other natural disasters, along with the victims of mass shootings in cities ranging from Buffalo to Las Vegas and Uvalde, Texas to Lewiston, Maine .

Contributing: Joey Garrison. Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @mcollinsNEWS.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: President Biden consoles families of law-enforcement officers gunned down in Charlotte