Suspect Dead After Police Involved Shooting In North Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - One man is dead and a Philadelphia police officer is recovering after an altercation inside a North Philadelphia home Sunday afternoon.
Police were called to a home near Cecil B. Moore Avenue and North 3rd Street just after 2:30 p.m.
Officer Richard Nicoletti and his partner Officer Matthew McCarthy found a 29-year-old suicidal man crouched in the corner of the kitchen with a knife to his own neck, according to authorities.
After trying to calm the man down, Deputy Police Commissioner Richard Ross says the man dropped the knife. Nicoletti then approached the man to save his life, but the man grabbed the officer's weapon, says Ross. Officer Nicoletti's firearm discharged, striking his vest. Initial reports indicated Nicoletti had been hit, but the bullet did not go though the vest.
Authorities say after the suspect tried to grab Officer Nicoletti's weapon, Officer McCarthy moved in and fired on the suspect who was later pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect has been identified as Carmelo Winans.
Oren Liebermann reports...
"We're just lucky he's with us today. We have ascertained as a result of some medical examination that Officer Nicoletti may not have been struck. We thought in the chaos that he was," said Commissioner Ross.
Nicoletti was taken to Temple University Hospital as a precautionary measure and was later released. Ross says Nicoletti is a three-year veteran of the force.
"He's a military vet, served a couple times overseas in Afghanistan, so he's a real tough guy but it was a really chaotic situation where they were trying to save this male's life," said Commissioner Ross.
Reported by Kim Glovas, KYW Newsradio
