Philadelphia police shoot, kill man outside St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children
No patients or hospital staff were injured in the shooting.
Police shot and killed a man outside St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in North Philadelphia on Thursday, authorities said.
Officers were called to the hospital shortly before 10:30 a.m. for a report of a disturbance, said Cpl. Jasmine Colón-Reilly, a police spokesperson. When officers arrived, she said, they encountered a man who tried to pull out a gun. But before he could fire it, one of the officers shot him, Colón-Reilly said.
The man, whose name has not been released, was transported to an area hospital, where he died.
The shooting unfolded on the driveway of the hospital’s emergency room entrance on Eerie Avenue, said hospital spokesperson Bill Tierny. No patients or hospital staff were injured, he said.
The hospital went into an initial lockdown, which has since been lifted, Tierny said. All entrances to the hospital, however, remain closed Thursday afternoon, except for its Front Street door.
Police have not yet released the name, age, or rank of the officer who discharged his weapon.
Thursday’s shooting was the second officer-involved shooting in less than three weeks in Philadelphia.
On June 14, three officers were injured and Eric Franks was fatally wounded after exchanging gunfire in the Wynnfield neighborhood of West Philadelphia. The officers — who were shot in the hip, leg, and face — were hospitalized but recovered, police said.
Their names had not been released as of Thursday, pending an active threat assessment, said police spokesperson Sgt. Eric Gripp.
