Ballistic vest may have saved officer after shooting in North Philadelphia: police
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Philadelphia police narcotics officer who was shot in the hand Wednesday morning may have been saved by his ballistics vest, Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said.
The officer was shot shortly after 6 a.m. while serving a warrant at a residence on Kings Place, a cul-de-sac off Master Street near 12th Street in North Philadelphia.
The shot came from inside the house and struck the officer's ballistic vest, then ricocheted and hit the officer in the hand, Bethel said.
A photo of the vest shows fraying material from where the bullet hit.
Two people are now in custody after the shooting, according to police.
Bethel said officers did not fire their weapons in the incident. After the officer was shot, police backed out of the situation and eventually two people surrendered to police.
Bethel said police officers, especially those on the narcotics unit, face danger every day.
"It's not out of the ordinary that my men and women who put themselves in that way are going to take fire. We know that. Every man and woman who comes on this job understands the inherent dangers of the job. Our job is to try to minimize it," Bethel said.
The officer was taken to Jefferson University Hospital after being shot and has already been released. He has not been named, but has been with the Philadelphia Police Department for over 30 years.
The type of vest the officer was wearing was a level 3 ballistic vest.
Chris Sfedu, a director with ExecDefense USA, a Pennsylvania manufacturer that specializes in ballistic armor, said more agencies are using level 3 vests.
"We are seeing a higher rate of crimes committed with assault weapons and rifles and in order to combat those threats, level 3 plates are essential for officers and other security professionals to wear because if they don't have that armor, rifle rounds can pierce their vests," Sfedu said.
This is the second time since 2022 that a vest has saved the life of a Philadelphia police officer.
But it's the first documented case of a new batch of vests saving an officer.
Seven months ago, the department received enhanced ballistic vests like the one worn by the officer for their narcotic and other units placed in high-risk deployments.
"There is nothing that will get in the way of us all working together as a team to make our city safe," Mayor Cherelle Parker said.