Slain Charlotte officer remembered as hard-charging cop with soft heart for his family

By ERIK VERDUZCO and JEFFREY COLLINS
Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Friends, colleagues and the wife of fallen Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Joshua Eyer are remembering him as a hard-charging outwardly stern cop who also peppered friends with “how’s things” texts and showered love on his wife and young son. Thousands packed the sanctuary at Charlotte’s First Baptist Church on Friday for Eyer’s memorial service. They honored the life and sacrifice of a man who would push as hard to arrest a homicide suspect as he would someone who stole a sandwich. Eyer was one of four officers killed Monday as they tried to serve a warrant on a man wanted for being a felon in possession of a weapon. The suspect also was killed.