Mount Holly officer killed in shootout; suspect in custody

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) – An officer was shot and killed Friday morning after police exchanged fire with a suspect near the Mount Holly Car Wash, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

CMPD said Mount Holly officers and a Gaston County police officer were confronting an armed, breaking and entering suspect around 3:30 a.m. when several shots were fired.

“We heard a bunch of shots and then before we even thought to get up and take a look there were already cops everywhere,” said a neighbor.

Officer Tyler Herndon, 25, was shot during the encounter and was taken to the hospital. Officer Herndon did not survive his injuries.

Mount Holly Police Officer Tyler Herndon

Officer Herndon is the first-ever Mount Holly police officer to die in the line of duty.

“It’s terrible, he’s trying to do his job it’s awful, it’s something you would never wish on anybody,” said a neighbor.

Our prayers are with family and friends of Mount Holly Police Officer Tyler Herndon who was killed in the line of duty this morning protecting the community he loved. I spoke with Tyler’s parents and Chief Roper to offer our support and deepest condolences. – RC
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) December 11, 2020

Officer Herndon had been an officer with Mount Holly Police for less than two years. He and Officer Delton Williams were featured in a story on FOX 46 in which they reached out to the community through good deeds. Watch below:

The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Joshua Tyler Funk, was treated at the hospital and released to law enforcement. He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

Joshua Tyler Funk (Courtesy of the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office)

The suspect, Funk, has a criminal history. According to online court records, Funk has three separate traffic citations and a pending larceny case out of Iredell County. He was due in court for the Iredell County case in January 2021.

Procedure dictates that the Internal Affairs Bureau with the Mount Holly Police Department will conduct a “separate but parallel investigation to determine whether department policies and procedures were followed during the incident.”

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