Recovering from Friday's rampage, Officer Ed Miller feted at FOP fund-raiser

Walking on crutches, Officer Ed Miller was in good spirits as he arrived Monday night at Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 in Northeast Philadelphia.

Less than 72 hours earlier, he was wounded in a gun battle with a man who had targeted police in a shooting rampage in West Philadelphia.

On Friday night, a bullet ripped through Miller's right hip and ankle, and grazed his right elbow. The shooter, 25-year-old Nicholas Glenn, was killed in a hail of police gunfire.

Miller, 56, a member of the University of Pennsylvania police force, called it "a night I'd like to forget, but it worked to our advantage."

Accompanied by his wife, a Philadelphia police officer, and two children, Miller was warmly received by friends and colleagues at the FOP headquarters, where the union was hosting a fund-raiser for Miller and Philadelphia Police Sgt. Sylvia Young, who was wounded when Glenn fired 18 bullets into her patrol car.

Young was struck six times and is in stable condition.

"She definitely dealt with more than I had to deal with," said Miller, a 35-year veteran with the city and Penn departments.

With the Eagles game about to start, Miller enjoyed a beer. He joked about seeing video of himself falling after getting hit, describing it as a "fat guy rolling around."

When asked if anything else in his career compared to what he experienced Friday night, he laughed.

"No," he replied, "because I got shot this time."

Glenn shot four other people, killing a 25-year-old woman who died as a result. The shooting spree ended when Miller and two Philadelphia police officers confronted Glenn in an alley off Sansom Street near 48th Street.

Miller expressed confidence that he will be able to walk normally again. And he vowed to return to his job.

"It's in my blood," he said, "so I'll be back."

bmoran@phillynews.com215-854-5983@RobertMoran215