PHILADELPHIA — Three Philadelphia police officers were shot in North Philadelphia Wednesday morning, and a 19-year-old suspect was killed in the resulting gun battle, officials said.
First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford told reporters a suspect opened fire while officers were attempting to serve a warrant for an August homicide in the 22nd District on the 800 block of North 10th Street in the West Poplar neighborhood around 6:30 a.m.
Stanford said the suspect attempted to flee, was shot during the melee and taken to the Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:32 a.m. Wednesday morning. Police did not identify the suspect.
The police officers that were shot were taken to Jefferson Hospital and were in stable condition Wednesday morning. Stanford said one officer was shot in the leg, one in the hip, and one was struck in the chest, but was wearing a bulletproof vest.
6abc obtained audio of one of the injured officers calling in after being shot during the incident.
“We got two SWAT officers shot. We are en route to Jefferson Hospital,” the unidentified officer said. “Let them know, I’m shot in the hip. My partner is shot in the leg.”
“These officers sign up to do a job, [which] is protect and serve, but not to take gunfire, and at some point enough becomes enough,” Stanford said.
“There’s not a day that goes by that we don’t either have a child that’s shot, or multiple people shot, because there are too many people out here carrying guns, and they don’t have consequences,” Stanford added.
At least one adult male was taken away in handcuffs, but Stanford said at this point it doesn’t appear they had anything to do with the shooting.
