Philly cop killed in airport parking garage shooting as he arrived for work: ‘Numb moment for us’
A Philadelphia police officer was killed and another injured inside an airport garage as they attempted to stop a car theft late Thursday.
The shooting broke out inside a parking garage at the Philadelphia International Airport just after 11 p.m. as the officers were beginning their shift with the department’s Airport Unit, police officials said.
The two officers, a 50-year-old and a 60-year-old, had just stepped out of their vehicle inside the garage when they “observed a few individuals breaking into another vehicle,” Interim Commissioner John Stanford said.
One of the suspects allegedly opened fire and struck the 50-year-old officer multiple times in the torso.
The officer, a 22-year veteran with the department, was pronounced dead at 11:34 p.m. inside Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
He leaves behind a wife and one child, according to NBC 10.
“The officer that was pronounced … that was murdered tonight, he is married with a child, they are here at the hospital, as you can imagine, heartbroken and devastated that their family member is not coming home tonight,” Stanford added.
Police have not released the officer’s name, and are giving his family time to notify additional family members.
The second officer was struck in the arm and transported to Jefferson University Hospital in stable condition, according to Stanford.
One of the suspects may have been transported to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia by a private car, where they were pronounced dead.
Stanford couldn’t confirm if the person who died at CHOP was involved with the shooting, but that individual was “very similar to the suspect description.”
Philadelphia police officers have been shot at multiple times this month, including three times last week, which has drawn some frustration from Stanford.
“A numb moment for us tonight to again encounter something like this. We just had three officers shot last week and then this tonight.”
“So you can imagine what we feel, you could imagine what this department is going through, and quite frankly how this city should be feeling to know that this is happening to two of the men that have served them 20-plus years and ultimately one giving his life tonight for the city of Philadelphia,” he added
Police have opened an investigation into the shooting and are looking for the multiple suspects as well as a vehicle originally reported to be a Dodge Durango.
