Philly cops shot during Tioga standoff say they feel ‘blessed’ to be alive

Shaun Parker, one of the six Philadelphia police officers shot in the standoff with a gunman in Tioga earlier this month, says the bullet that grazed the side of his head missed injuring his brain by centimeters.

“I just feel really grateful and blessed that I can go home to my family,” Parker said.

Officer Nathaniel Harper, meanwhile, is relying on a cane after being shot in a leg, but said: “I’m blessed, truly blessed,” for being able to walk out of the situation alive.

The two officers spoke briefly with reporters Thursday night during a celebration honoring them and their colleagues at Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 headquarters in Northeast Philadelphia.

Five of the six officers who were shot in Tioga — Justin Matthews, Michael Guinter, Ryan Waltman, Harper, and Parker — were on stage early Thursday night, while the sixth, Joshua Burkitt, also was expected to attend.

Also on stage were Officers Edward Wright and James Wheeler, who were trapped inside the house during the standoff with accused gunman Maurice Hill.

FOP president John McNesby, Attorney General Josh Shapiro, and acting Police Commissioner Christine Coulter addressed the hundreds of attendees in the ballroom.

“Somebody was looking out for us” during the standoff, McNesby said.

The Aug. 14 episode — the largest number of police shot in one incident in modern Philadelphia history — happened after officers monitoring alleged drug activity on the 3700 block of North 15th Street went into a rowhouse and encountered Hill, who authorities have said began firing an AR-15 at those who came inside.

Hill continued firing sporadically during a 7½-hour stalemate, police have said, and surrendered around midnight. He remains jailed while awaiting trial on a litany of charges, including 11 counts of attempted murder.

Seven other people were charged in connection with the incident, although authorities have not specified the role that each may have played.

District Attorney Larry Krasner, who helped negotiate with Hill by phone before Hill surrendered, has said the investigation into the crime could last months.