Philadelphia police were thrown into the throes of a violent confrontation yesterday when an officer fired at a suspect accused of shooting another man on North Broad Street in Hunting Park. According to NBC Philadelphia, the incident unfolded after police responded to a report of a man with a gun near a Sunoco gas station. The argument between several men spiraled into violence across the street at the intersection of Broad and Jerome streets where police say a 29-year-old man drew a firearm and shot another man in the chest.
A nine-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, a 36-year-old officer, acted swiftly to return fire at the shooting suspect. However, the officer did not hit the man but managed to chase him down after the altercation, as CBS News Philadelphia reports. The shooting suspect was caught a block away from the scene, and a 9mm Smith and Wesson handgun, believed to be the shooter's, was recovered from under a car parked on Jerome Street.
The victim of the shooting was transported by police to an area hospital and remains in critical condition. The involved officer was placed on administrative duty pending multiple investigations, which is standard procedure in the case of a police-involved shooting. KYW Newsradio disclosed that "portions" of the incident were captured on the officer's body-worn camera, providing footage that will undoubtedly play an integral role in the ongoing internal review processes.
