Youth is charged in PHA cop shooting
The 17-year-old male approached the security booth inside the lobby of the Queen Lane Apartments late Sunday and spoke not a word.
The 17-year-old male approached the security booth inside the lobby of the Queen Lane Apartments late Sunday and spoke not a word.
He knocked on the door, the cop inside opened it, and the gunman fired one shot with an assault rifle, hitting the officer in the left hip at point-blank range, police said.
The wounded officer slammed the door of the bullet-proof booth and the gunman fired at least two more times at the booth before fleeing.
The alleged shooter was arrested about an hour later by Officer Robert Lee, of the 5th District, who heard a description of the gunman over police radio and saw the suspect about two blocks from the building.
He was identified as Zahir Boddy-Johnson, of Diamond Street near 23rd, North Philadelphia. He was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, robbery, firearms violations and related offenses in the incident.
Police said Johnson will be charged as an adult.
Officer Craig Kelley, 49, a 17-year veteran of the Philadelphia Housing Authority police, was struck once in the left hip under his bulletproof vest by what police described as a "heavy caliber assault type rifle."
"He may have also been struck by some glass shards when certain projectiles hit the bulletproof glass," said Homicide Capt. Mike Costello.
Costello said there was a robbery at the apartment building about two weeks ago and investigators are looking into the possibility that the robbery and the shooting were connected.
Kelley was recovering from his wounds last night and remained in stable condition at Temple University Hospital.
Costello said the bulletproof vest and Kelley's "quick actions to ward off the attack" were instrumental in saving his life.
"We expect a full recovery," Costello said of Kelley.
PHA Police Chief Richard Zappile said that authority cops are equipped with .40-caliber Smith and Wesson semi-automatic handguns, not the standard issue Glocks that Philadelphia police officers carry.
Costello said Kelley did not return fire at Johnson.
Zappile said he was shocked by the shooting.
"We're very concerned about Officer Kelly and we're very happy that he survived this hit," Zappile said.
"It could have been a lot more tragic if he wasn't wearing his vest and if he didn't try to minimize the damage that the rifle was going to do to him," Zappile said.
Zappile said that Kelley, married with no children, is a conscientious police officer.
Kelley's shooting marked the first shooting of a police officer this year. In 2007, six police officers were shot, one fatally.
Officer Chuck Cassidy lost his life last fall while interrupting a robbery in progress at a West Oak Lane Dunkin' Donuts.
His accused killer, John Jordan Lewis, is awaiting trial. *
