Suspect surrenders after 6 Philadelphia police officers shot; 2 held hostage
PHILADELPHIA, Penn. (WTXF) - Six Philadelphia police officers were shot while additional officers were injured in North Philadelphia Wednesday before a suspect surrendered after an hourslong standoff.
The incident unfolded around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday on the 3700 block of North 15th Street as officers were serving a narcotics warrant. The scene remained active until around midnight, when the suspect was taken into police custody.
Police said two officers trapped inside the house for more than four hours were freed. Officers "had to escape through windows and doors to get (away) from a barrage of bullets."
"It's nothing short of a miracle that we don't have multiple officers killed today," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said at a Wednesday night press conference.
FOX 29's Chris O'Connell reported that the shooter was live-streaming the entire situation on social media.
Ross said officers called the gunman and attempted to communicate with him with a bullhorn for hours.
Three officers were taken to Temple University Hospital while three officers were taken to Einstein Medical Center. Police say all six officers have been released from the hospital. One officer is still being treated for injuries sustained in a vehicle crash related to the incident.
"I'm a little angry about someone having all that weaponry and all that firepower, but we'll get to that another day," Mayor Jim Kenney said.
FOX 29's Dave Schratwieser reported that a police sergeant was assaulted by someone in the neighborhood as he responded to the scene. The sergeant was struck in the head during the assault.
Temple University locked down part of its campus, and several children and staff were stuck in a nearby day care.