The bereaved wife of Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. "Tommy" Weeks, who was among four law enforcement officers killed last week in a shootout at a wanted suspect's Charlotte home, spoke of her husband's killer before hundreds gathered for his Monday memorial service, including U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.
"This tragedy was the result of someone who did not have any regard for human life," Kelly Weeks said of the killer, 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes Jr.
Hughes died at the scene after fatally shooting Weeks; North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (NCDAC) Officers Sam Poloche and William "Alden" Elliott, who were members of a USMS fugitive task force along with Weeks; and CMPD Officer Joshua Eyer from the second floor of his Galway Drive home in Charlotte on April 29.
Four more law enforcement officers were injured at the scene while trying to serve a warrant for Hughes' arrest. The suspect had an "extensive" criminal record, according to North Carolina Public Records and CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings.
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Two additional persons of interest – both female, one just 17 years old – were taken into custody. Authorities are still working to determine whether anyone else was involved in the shooting.
Authorities recovered an AR-15 rifle, a 40-caliber handgun, magazines and ammunition from the residence, and Jennings said that over 100 rounds were fired in the shootout.
"Tommy's mission in life was to make the world safer and fight for justice," Weeks' wife said. "So what do I need? I need this country to come together, to support our law enforcement officers so they can continue to fight for justice just like my husband did. Thank an officer every single day, encourage our children to show police officers the proper respect."
The widowed mother of four hoped the memory of her 48-year-old husband would inspire others to "lift up his fellow brothers and sisters in any law enforcement capacity."
Weeks said her husband was a devoted father and husband, always walking on the inside of the street to protect her from traffic and wanting her within arms length.
"I woke up every single day to a man telling me he loved me, ‘You’re the most beautiful woman,’ ‘How lucky I am to have you.’ What he didn’t realize is I was the lucky one."
Weeks would "do anything" to make his loved ones "feel special," his wife said, "insisting you drink a Guinness or have a glass of whiskey" and "inviting you to play golf or come to the lake, or just give you a call to see how you were doing."
Weeks was a 13-year veteran of the marshals service and had worked in Charlotte since 2014, the agency said. After beginning his career in law enforcement in Washington, D.C. in 2011, he spent eight years with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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Her husband's service made Weeks aware of the risks law enforcement officers take daily to "protect our bubble."
"As I look out on this crowd, I see so many law enforcement officers here to pay their respects. It is a clear reminder of the sacrifice these men and women make every day," she said. "If you do not serve or have a family with individuals who do serve, you sleep peacefully at night knowing you're protected by many brave men and women."
Garland told mourners that he had called Weeks' spouse hoping to lift her spirits – unexpectedly, he said, she lifted his.
"When I called you last Tuesday to convey the Justice Department's deepest condolences to your family," Garland said. "I hope to in some way be able to provide you with comfort and support in the midst of your unimaginable loss. What I did not expect is that you would end the call by asking me what you could do to support the Marshal Service and the Justice Department in this time of immeasurable sadness."
Last week, former FBI agent with Miami's Violent Fugitive Task Force Nicole Parker called upon Garland and the Department of Justice to establish more concrete protocols for arrests and takedowns carried out by the agencies it oversees, including the U.S. Marshals.
She likened last week's shooting to an incident in February 2021, when FBI Special Agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger were killed while attempting to serve a warrant on a Florida suspect wanted for violent crimes against children.
She noted that no formal changes were made to protect federal agents in similar situations in the future.
Like Weeks' wife, she called for respect for law enforcement officers, both from the public and the federal government.
"Until our country wakes up and shows respect, learns lessons from these tragedies, shares those lessons and makes some changes, it's going to keep happening," Parker said. "That's why everyone's leaving - law enforcement officers don't feel like anyone has our backs."
President Biden visited Charlotte on Thursday to meet the fallen officers' families and members of CMPD, and wrote in a statement that "we must do more to protect our law enforcement officers."
"That means funding them – so they have the resources they need to do their jobs and keep us safe," the President said in a Monday statement. "And it means taking additional action to combat the scourge of gun violence. Now. Leaders in Congress need to step up so that we ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, require safe storage of guns and pass universal background checks and a national red flag law. Enough is enough."
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