Philadelphia police shoot man wanted for fatally shooting woman in Kensington
A Philadelphia police officer shot a man wanted for fatally shooting a woman in Kensington on Oct. 8, investigators said Tuesday night.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Investigations Frank Vanore, police initially spotted the 29-year-old suspect, identified as Spencer Majett, near Reach Street and Allegheny Avenue. Police called for backup and attempted to make an arrest, but he ran away from them.
Two officers chased after the suspect and an altercation ensued in an alley on Custer Street around 5 p.m., police said. Both Majett and the officers exchanged gunfire. The suspect was struck in the shoulder and is in critical but stable condition at the hospital, Vanore said. The officers were not injured, according to Vanore.
Vanore said the officers who found the suspect were on patrol in the area at the time of the shooting and authorities had been searching for him for weeks.
"It's great police work. They're just out, they see somebody they recognize, they do what they're supposed to do — try to stop him," Vanore said. "He runs, they effectively arrest, and unfortunately, they had to use force to do that."
The suspect is accused of fatally shooting 23-year-old Felicity Vanetta, who was walking near the Steak N Beer store on Kensington Avenue near Somerset Street back on Oct. 8.
Police said they believed the woman was a bystander and the gunman intended to shoot someone else.
Witnesses told police that the gunman was inside the store when he got in a fight with one or two other men, Chief Inspector Scott Small said at the time of the shooting. The fight spilled out onto Kensington Avenue when the shooter fired one shot that hit the woman, who was about 200 feet up the block.
Police said the woman was 23 years old and frequented the area. She was taken to Temple University Hospital after the shooting and pronounced dead.
In the days that followed the woman's death, through video evidence, the Homicide Unit obtained a warrant for Majett, who was actively being sought by investigators.
Majett was charged with murder and related charges for the homicide of Vanetta. He is also facing two counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer, two counts of aggravated assault and related charges.
The two officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative duty pending investigations by Internal Affairs, the Officer-Involved Shooting Investigations Unit, and the District Attorney's Office.