Philadelphia gunman shoots 2 women, transit cop before killing himself: police
A gunman in Philadelphia shot two women and a transit police officer before being found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
The suspect barricaded himself in an apartment in the city’s Frankford section after two women were shot at about 7 p.m. Wednesday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Responding officers then spotted a man running into a building, where he started firing at cops from a window. Several cops returned fire and a SEPTA police officer was wounded in the chest in the intense exchange, police said.
The 28-year-old transit cop, a three-year veteran, later underwent surgery at a hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, WPVI reported.
The officer, who provided cover to a city cop who got pinned down during the shootout, connected with his colleagues over FaceTime following surgery — even giving a thumbs-up, according to the station.
“It doesn’t matter the patch they wear and the badge that’s on their chest,” SEPTA Transit Police Chief Thomas Nestel said. “Police officers do his stuff when their brothers and sisters are in danger.”
The two wounded women, ages 42 and 57, were shot in the hip and taken to a hospital in stable condition, WPVI reported.
A witness told the station he was standing at a bus stop when a man started shooting from about a block away.
“Here we are again … another night in our city,” Philadelphia police spokesman Sgt. Eric Gripp told the Inquirer. “Just this completely and totally unacceptable and reckless gun violence nearly took three innocent people’s lives, and we’re so grateful it wasn’t worse.”
The gunman, who wasn’t immediately identified, was later found dead inside an apartment building from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head after emptying a Glock that had 15 rounds, police told WPVI.
