Four law enforcement officers were shot dead and four others were wounded while serving a warrant in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, on Monday.

According to BBC, officials said at least one suspected attacker was found dead in the front yard of a barricaded home after a standoff that lasted three hours.

The report also revealed that two armed suspects were involved in what was regarded as one of the deadliest assaults on US law enforcement in decades.

The officers were part of a US Marshals Service-led task force who were attempting to serve a warrant on Monday against a felon wanted for illegally possessing a firearm when gunfire erupted on the suburban street.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief, Johnny Jennings, said the officers returned fire at an assailant in the front yard, and then more shots were fired at them from inside the home.

“Today we lost some heroes who were out simply trying to keep our community safe,” the police chief said.

According to him, it was the worst attack on police officers he could recall in his 30 years on the force.

The US Marshals Service confirmed in a statement that one of its officers had been killed in the raid.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said two of the officers killed were members of the state’s Department of Adult Corrections.