Philly standoff ends without deaths
Police chief hails ‘miracle,’ says goal was to preserve lives
PHILADELPHIA – Throughout a seven-hour gun battle that turned a Philadelphia neighborhood into a war zone and left six officers injured, the goal was “preservation of life,” Police Commissioner Richard Ross said, explaining a day of intense gunfire and tear gas salvos before the gunman surrendered early Thursday.
At one point, with hundreds of officers pinned down by erratic gunfire, a SWAT team rescued two officers trapped upstairs with handcuffed prisoners in the north Philadelphia home.
In the end, the police tactics worked as the shooter, with his hands up, was driven from his home after a tear gas barrage and all the injured officers were treated.
“It’s nothing short of a miracle that we don’t have multiple officers killed today,” Ross said.
Throughout the ordeal, he said, the goal was “preservation of life, irrespective of who it is.”
The gunman identified as Maurice Hill, 36, of Philadelphia, could be charged with attempted murder and a number of other counts that would bring a life sentence if convicted, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said.
He said Hill had a lengthy state and federal criminal record, including past charges for gun violations, drugs, DUI, aggravated assault, resisting arrest and even “taunting a police animal.”
The melee erupted Wednesday as officers came to the house in a north Philadelphia neighborhood of brick and stone row homes to serve drug arrest warrants.
The standoff was especially unnerving as hundreds of officers, often pinned down by barrages of erratic gunfire from the house, had to operate in the densely populated area of narrow streets and tightly packed houses.
Dozens of children had to be removed from a day care center next door.
Temple University’s medical campuses nearby were placed on lockdown, and trains and buses were ordered not to stop along neighborhood routes.
The confrontation even included Ross and Krasner telephoning to negotiate directly with the suspect.
Attempt to serve the warrants Wednesday “went awry almost immediately,” Ross said.
Many officers “had to escape through windows and doors to get (away) from a barrage of bullets,” he said.
As gunfire erupted and officers scrambled to safety, two officers were trapped on the second floor – one officer guarding two handcuffed prisoners and the other holed up in a bathroom with a third prisoner.
At one point, one of the officers calmly radioed the chaotic scene to police surrounding the building.
“We are pinned down in the second floor with three individuals handcuffed,” one officer said. “You can hear the male moving downstairs on the first floor.”
During another round of gunfire, another officer can be heard saying, “The male is reloading, the male is reloading, shots fired inside.”
A SWAT team eventually made its way into the structure and brought the officers to safety.
Police still haven’t determined how much weaponry the gunman had, other than what was found on him when officers took him into custody. Ross said that weapon was a handgun, possibly a .380-caliber.
SWAT officers “preliminarily confirmed” there was a long gun inside the residence, as well, but said the scene has not yet been processed because of the use of tear gas inside the house.
“It was a very dynamic situation,” Ross said, “one I hope we never see again.”
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said he was thankful that officers’ injuries weren’t life-threatening.
“I’m a little angry about someone having all that weaponry and all that firepower, but we’ll get to that another day,” Kenney said.