Gunman wounds at least 6 police officers in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — Six police officers were shot in a confrontation with at least one gunman Wednesday afternoon in the Tioga section of North Philadelphia, and after nightfall two officers emerged after being trapped for hours in the house where the shootout first erupted at 4:30 p.m.
At 8 p.m., Police Commissioner Richard Ross said a man inside the house in the 3700 block of North 15th Street was still firing out windows, striking a SWAT vehicle and homes across the street.
At a news conference outside Temple University Hospital, where some of the injured officers were taken, Ross, wearing a ballistic vest, said he had personally tried to talk to the shooter in an effort to negotiate a surrender. He said the man had picked up the phone but had not verbally responded.
“He can end this peacefully now,” Ross said.
Shortly before 9:25 p.m., the officers safely left the house.
“Update: 2 PPD Officers who were in house with shooter have been safely evacuated by PPD SWAT. Suspect is still armed and inside house. Continue to avoid the area,” a police spokesman tweeted at 9:36 p.m.
The standoff with the gunman continued. The White House and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf were briefed on the unfolding situation.
Narcotics officers were attempting to serve an arrest warrant at the house when shots were fired. The two Narcotics Strike Force bicycle officers who were evacuated had been pinned down on the second floor with three other people who were handcuffed, police said. The officers had said earlier that they were at risk of getting shot because the suspect on the first floor was firing into the ceiling.
Initially, police said there was one shooter inside a house on the block still firing shots shortly before 5 p.m. Later, police said they believed there were two shooters inside. It was unclear later if that remained their understanding of the situation.
At the 8 p.m. news conference, Ross said he still did not know if there were one or two shooters involved.
One officer was grazed in the head, but was conscious and communicating, police said. A second officer was hit in one or both arms. A third officer was shot, possibly in the arm.
Three officers were taken to Temple University Hospital, and three were being treated at Einstein Medical Center.