Two police officers shot in West Philadelphia
Both officers were taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
Two Philadelphia police officers are in the hospital after being shot early this morning in West Philadelphia, officials said Saturday.
The officers, from the city’s 19th District, were responding to reports of a man with a gun on the 100 block of North 52nd Street when they received “significant gunfire,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel said at a news conference.
A 40-year-old officer was shot three times, Bethel said. A 33-year-old officer was shot 12 times. Both were taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where they are in surgery.
Two more police officers were shot at when they approached the house, Bethel said. Police called in a SWAT team.
“We were able to locate this individual in a tree, and we were able to take him into custody,” Bethel said. The man was found with a shotgun and two handguns, one of which he’d taken from a police officer.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said both officers are “badly wounded” and asked people to pray for them.
“Their families right now are feeling unspeakable pain, but watching this department and those families sticking close together as a village has definitely shown me what the indomitable power of the human spirit is and can mean during times like this,” Parker said.
This is a developing story. Check back soon for more details.
