A domestic disturbance in Abington Township led to a fatal police shooting, officials report. The incident occurred Thursday morning at the Rosemore Gardens Apartments in Glenside, following a 911 call made by a young girl reporting gunshots and screams.
According to NBC Philadelphia, upon arriving at the scene around 11:15 a.m., Abington Township Police Chief Patrick Molloy stated that officers were met with more commotion. The girl had escaped the apartment where a man, yet to be identified, was holding her mother hostage.
FOX 29 News reports that after hearing another gunshot and screams, officers forced entry into the apartment. They encountered the suspect, and during the altercation, two officers fired their weapons, striking the man.
"Officers immediately took down that door, made entry, discharged their firearm, and – in my opinion – saved the life of an adult female victim," Molloy said in a statement obtained by FOX 29. The man was taken to Abington Hospital, where he later died from his injuries. The woman and child in the home were unharmed.
In accordance with police protocol, the two officers involved have been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, as mentioned in a 6abc report. Chief Molloy expressed relief that the mother and child are safe, stating, "I'm so grateful because our number one priority when we put on a uniform, a badge, and a gun when we come to work each day is to protect innocent lives."
The identity of the suspect has not been released, and the involved officers have not been publicly identified. The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office is investigating the incident.
