Officers who shot man in East Mount Airy identified, suspect charged
Lt. Todd Landherr, 42, and Officer Shana Moore, 36, shot Maurice Samuels at an apartment on the unit block of East Cliveden Street. Samuels is facing numerous charges in a domestic incident.
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Philadelphia police have released the names of two officers and the 23-year-old man they shot in East Mount Airy last weekend as they responded to a reported domestic dispute.
Lt. Todd Landherr, 42, and Officer Shana Moore, 36, had been dispatched to the unit block of East Cliveden Street for the incident on Saturday. When they arrived, officers saw Maurice Samuels holding an unidentified object in his hand, police said Friday.
The situation escalated, with officers shooting Samuels in one arm and grazing the other. Samuels was treated and released from an area hospital, according to police. He now faces charges of burglary, criminal trespass, possessing an instrument of a crime, making terroristic threats, and related charges.
According to police, officers responded to the apartment building around 1 a.m. A woman and Samuels had gotten into an argument in the woman’s apartment, prompting her to ask him to leave. Police said Samuels would then reenter the apartment using a window, take the woman by the arm, and continue the argument in her bedroom.
A 26-year-old man, who was the subject of the argument, would later arrive, said police. Samuels would take a hammer and confront the second man outside after hearing him knock on the door, according to police.
Landherr and Moore — both of the 14th District— pulled up at the scene in time to see the second man back away from the building entrance and hear him say, “Oh — you have a hammer.”
The officers took cover as Samuels came to the door. According to police, Samuels was pointing an object the officers believed was a firearm. The officers fired their weapons, and Samuels reentered the building.
Police declared a barricade and SWAT backup was called. Samuels was taken into custody without further incident and a hammer was recovered.
The Officer Involved Shooting Investigations Unit and Internal Affairs Bureau, as well as the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office are investigating the incident, which was caught on body-worn cameras.
Landherr, a 16-year veteran of the department, and Moore, who’s been with the department for eight years, have been placed on administrative duty.