Police said man killed by officer fired his gun first during South Philly standoff
Vicenzo Rudi, 44, was killed in the 6:25 p.m. shootout at his home in the 1900 block of South Bancroft Street.
The man fatally shot at his home Tuesday evening by a Philadelphia police officer first opened fired on officers as they were trying to execute a search warrant related to aggravated assault and firearms violations, the Police Department announced Friday.
Vicenzo Rudi, 44, was killed in the 6:25 p.m. shootout at his home in the 1900 block of South Bancroft Street. Messages left with three of Rudi’s relatives seeking comment were not returned Friday. The slaying is Philadelphia’s first officer-involved shooting of the new year.
Last year, there were eight officer-involved shooting incidents in the city, down from 15 incidents in 2020, according to the department.
The department said SWAT Officer Philip Scratchard is the 14-year veteran who shot Rudi. He has been assigned to administrative duty while the department’s Officer Involved Shooting Investigations Unit and Internal Affairs Division investigate.
“Involvement in, and witnessing such critical incidents such as this, is traumatic for all involved,” Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a statement.
“The decision to use deadly force carries a heavy weight, and my thoughts are with this police officer and all others that were affected by this incident.”
The department gave this account of the fatal clash:
SWAT officers, who were assisting detectives in serving a search warrant at the South Philly home, positioned themselves at the front door.
The officers knocked and announced twice, “Police — with a warrant.” Scratchard was nearest to the front door and observed Rudi standing inside the nearby garage doorway. Scratchard immediately announced “police” and ordered Rudi to drop the gun.
The SWAT officers were ordered to break open the door, at which point Rudi shot his weapon several times toward Scratchard, who fired back and struck Rudi. He died at an area hospital at 6:38 p.m. Rudi’s gun was recovered at the scene.
No officers were injured, the department said.