Yesterday morning, Philadelphia police officers were called to a residence in North Philadelphia following reports of a person screaming, as detailed in a release by the Philadelphia Police Department. According to FOX29, two officers from the 22nd District arrived at a home on the 1800 block of North Bailey Street to find the situation quickly escalating to a violent confrontation. The incident, occurring just shy of 3 a.m., has since prompted an internal investigation with one officer placed on administrative leave.
Upon knocking and getting no initial response, it was a child who let the officers inside the residence to check on the inhabitants. "Officers witnessed a 31-year-old man armed with a knife standing over top a 30-year-old woman who was lying on the floor," as per a report by FOX29. The officers had to soon intervene when the man, ignoring commands to drop his weapon, charged at them.
One of the responding officers, a 26-year-old man, discharged his firearm during the incident, striking the suspect in the chest after he moved to jump over a sofa. As recounted by 6abc, the wounded man was then transported to Temple University Hospital, where he underwent surgery and was listed in critical condition. Notably, both officers' body-worn cameras captured the event, which is now under review by various divisions within the police department including the Officer Involved Shooting Investigation Unit and the Internal Affairs Bureau, in addition to the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office.
The 30-year-old woman and the officers present were confirmed to not have received injuries in the encounter. Following protocol, the officer who fired his weapon has been assigned to administrative duty pending the outcome of the ongoing investigations. This placement, automatically triggered by the use of lethal force regardless of context, is a standard procedure meant to ensure a transparent inquiry into the police shooting, as detailed in the information obtained by FOX29.
