Police shot and killed a man after a confrontation in West Philly this morning, authorities say

A police officer on Tuesday shot and killed a 75-year-old man on his front porch in West Philadelphia, authorities said, in an encounter that ended the life of a man neighbors said had long been a quiet, steady presence on the block.

Two officers from the 18th District responded to a 911 call shortly before 7:15 a.m. to a report of a person armed with a weapon and a possible family hostage situation in 5400 block of Webster Street, police said.

When they arrived, the officers found Anthony McKinley on the front porch, holding a Taurus handgun, police said.

As the officers approached the porch, police said, McKinley raised the firearm and pointed it in their direction.

The officers told McKinley to drop the gun, but instead, McKinley fired a single shot, police said. In response, one of the officers — a 26-year-old woman — shot McKinley once, they said.

Police took McKinley to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, police said, where he was pronounced dead at 7:33 a.m.

An initial investigation showed the 911 call originated from a phone registered to McKinley, police said.

Police did not immediately respond to a request for more information, including whether investigators had determined whether anyone had been held hostage at the home.

Neither officer was injured, said Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore. The officer who fired her gun was not immediately named.

Police remained at the scene through late morning, collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses. Investigators are expected to review body-worn camera footage — which Vanore said was turned on at the time of the shooting — as part of their inquiry.

A woman who answered the phone Tuesday morning at McKinley’s house declined to comment before disconnecting the call.

Crystal Harris, 60, who lives nearby, said she was still in bed Tuesday morning when she heard two shots.

She later learned that McKinley was dead. Harris described him as “very polite and kind,” the kind of neighbor who fixed things without being asked. Years ago, she said, he painted her front steps and refused to accept money for the work.

“He helped a lot of people,” Harris said. “He will be missed.”

Harris has lived on the block for 33 years, she said. McKinley was already there when she moved in.

By late morning Tuesday, a crime-scene cleaning crew in white protective suits and respirators was scrubbing blood from the steps and the porch where McKinley was killed — painted the same shade of gray as Harris’ stairs — and from the yellow siding of the house.

Across the street and a few doors down, Pete Hutton, 70, stood on his porch smoking. He had known McKinley in passing, he said. His wife awakened him with the news of their neighbor’s death.

“An awesome dude,” Hutton called him. “I said, ‘Why would anyone shoot Tony?’ I ain’t never seen him raise his voice or holler. I would have thought he was the one guy on the street who didn’t have a gun.”

Sheryl Gray, 72, said she was in her bathroom getting ready for a doctor’s appointment when she heard what she described as two back-to-back gunshots. The sound jolted her, she said.

“We got a quiet block,” she said. “A lot of older people live here. I’m shocked.”

Shihee Hatchett, 51, said he moved to the block with his family in 1978, when he was a child. Not long after, he met McKinley, who became “Uncle” to him and other boys on the street.

At the playground around the corner, Hatchett said, McKinley taught them to play basketball. As they got older, he showed them skilled trades and offered the kind of steady, fatherly guidance that carried into adulthood.

“He helped people move forward in life,” Hatchett said. “Showed them how to stay out of trouble.” The lessons endured, he said. “People are feeding their families off what he taught them.”

Hatchett said he last spoke with McKinley three days ago. Most mornings, he said, McKinley could be found on his front porch with a cup of coffee and slices of white bread for the birds.

“Nobody on this block would tell you anything different than what I’m telling you,” Hatchett said, calling the killing “unjustifiable.”

“He’s not here to tell his story,” he said.

Tuesday’s killing marked the third officer-involved shooting this year, according to police data.

Officers exchanged gunfire on Jan. 4 with a man who they said had tried to steal a package from the front steps of a Feltonville home, then fled. As the man ran away, police said, he shot at officers, who returned fire.

The man escaped, and no officers were injured.

Later that month, on Jan. 19, an officer shot and struck a man in Hunting Park, after police say that man shot someone at the intersection of Broad and Jerome Streets.

Police did not release the name of the 29-year-old man shot by police or the name of the officer who shot him.

Police did not respond Tuesday afternoon to requests for updates on either case.

Staff writer Robert Moran contributed to this article.