Officer recovering, suspects sought in N. Philly shootings

Police are searching for suspects in a series of gunfights early Sunday in North Philadelphia that led to the shooting and wounding of Officer Ashley Hoggard, as well as three other people.

Hoggard, who was shot in the shoulder, is in good condition at Temple University Hospital, said Deputy Commissioner William Blackburn at a news conference this afternoon. The 26-year-old officer was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit at some point after the shooting, but Blackburn did not comment on reports Hoggard had been suffering from internal bleeding.

Two of the other shooting victims are at Temple in stable condition, and the third has been released.

Police are studying surveillance video footage taken from inside and outside of the Franchise sports bar on Broad and Somerset streets at around 2:30 Sunday morning, where the gunfight appeared to originate. Police declined to screen the footage for the media but said it depicts a crowded dance floor inside the bar, and one person can be seen carrying a firearm.

Outside the bar, near a rear exit, cameras captured a 38-year-old man as he argued with another man and was shot multiple times, falling to the ground. The gunman passed that weapon off to another man, who in turn passed it off again, police said. The shooter can be seen crossing in front of Hoggard's cruiser as Hoggard arrived at the scene with his partner.

Hoggard was shot shortly after he approached the scene. Police do not yet know who shot him, Blackburn said.

After the gunshots, cameras inside the bar depict a man taking guns out of a bag and passing them out to four or five people, police said. Police are investigating the bar and are talking with the department's licensing and inspections division, Blackburn said.

Meanwhile, a 32-year-old man was shot in the leg near Somerset and Park Avenue in another gunfight. Another victim was shot as well, but police said they do not know where that attack took place.

In all, as many as 30 shots may have been fired, police said. Authorities are trying to determine how the gunfights may be linked. No arrests have been made.