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Biden visits Charlotte, Adams honors from the House floor in wake of deadly officer ambush

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - President Joe Biden landed in Charlotte on Thursday to honor the four officers killed in Monday's ambush and meet with their families.

Monday's ambush was the worst attack on law enforcement in the United States since 2016.

Biden spent just over two hours in the Queen City on Thursday to pay his respects to the four officers who were killed, the four wounded officers, and all of their families. As expected, it was a somber visit, and the President made no public remarks.

Once he stepped off Air Force 1, he greeted Governor Roy Cooper and Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles. Next, he spoke with the heads of each agency from which the fallen officers served:

"Every time an officer puts on that shield and walks out the door. A family member wonders whether they're gonna get that call till they come home," the President said. "I'm serious. The entire nation is grieving for these families."

U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, who represents Mecklenburg County, spoke from the House floor about the four men who lost their lives and the four injured.

"As we mourn these four men and pray for the speedy recovery of the four other officers who were injured, let us never forget to be thankful for the heroes that now walk among us," she said.

4 Officers Killed In East Charlotte Ambush

In addition to the president's visit, a procession for U.S. Marshals task force member William "Alden" Elliott will also happen Thursday. His body will be escorted from the medical examiner's office to a funeral home in Catawba County. The route will follow Highway 16 and is expected to last an hour.

On Wednesday, a similar somber procession for Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks Jr. went up I-77 as his body was escorted to Mooresville. Dozens of officers and firetrucks lined up along the route with flags draped over bridges. Weeks had been with the U.S. Marshals Service for 13 years. He is survived by his wife and four children.

Earlier this week, a member of the North Carolina Army National Guard who served with fallen CMPD Officer Joshua Eyer for 12 years and through two deployments spoke to the veteran and policeman's legacy.

Command Sgt. Major Robert Shook said he first met Eyer in 2012 and served with him until he left the guard last fall to serve his community and spend more time with his wife, Ashley, and young son, Andrew.

Shook said he was not surprised to hear Eyer ran toward the danger to help his fellow officers under fire.

"You're proud of the service and commitment that he made, but at the same time devastated by the loss of one of our kids," he said. "Sgt. Eyer was truly one in a million...he truly was a hero. He really was."

Sam Poloche, who like Elliott and Weeks was a member of the task force, was the fourth man killed during the ambush. He was married with two children. He had spent 14 years with the NC Department of Adult Correction.

Related: Biden to visit Charlotte after deadly shootout against law enforcement

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