2 Philly officers identified after shots fired following domestic incident turned barricade in East Mount Airy
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A man was taken into custody after a domestic argument turned into a barricade incident in Philadelphia's East Mount Airy neighborhood last Saturday, according to police.
Two Philadelphia police officers, identified as Lt. Todd Landherr and Officer Shana Moore, responded to an apartment building on East Cliveden Street after receiving reports of a person with a gun just after 1 a.m. on April 20.
According to police, the incident inside the apartment began after a 23-year-old woman got into, what police are calling a "domestic argument" with a 23-year-old man, identified as Maurice Samuels, and then asked him to leave. Samuels originally left the apartment, but then police said, he returned through a window.
Samuels allegedly then grabbed the woman by the arm and continued to argue with her inside a bedroom, according to police.
A 26-year-old, who police said was the topic of the fight between Samuels and the woman, then knocked on the door to the apartment. The woman alleged that Samuels then grabbed a hammer and went to confront the 26-year-old man at the door.
When Landherr and Moore arrived at the East Mount Airy apartment, the 26-year-old man was asking for Samuels to come outside the building. Police said that the 26-year-old man then said, "Oh — you have a hammer," and moved away from the front door.
According to police, Samuels came outside pointing, what they said appeared to be a firearm; the officers responded by firing their weapons. Samuels went back into the apartment building and police requested the SWAT team as a barricade was declared.
Authorities said Samuels eventually left the apartment and was taken into custody. He had suffered a gunshot wound to one of his arms, a graze wound to the other and was taken to the hospital for his injuries. Samuels was charged with burglary, criminal trespass, possessing an instrument of crime, terroristic threats and other related charges.
Police recovered a hammer at the scene. Officials said the Saturday morning incident was captured on body-worn cameras.
Both officers have been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation.
The incident is under investigation by the Officer Involved Shooting Investigations Unit, Internal Affairs Bureau and the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, the following resources are available to help:
National Domestic Violence Hotline
- 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE)
- 1-800-787-3224 (TTY for the Deaf)
Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- 1-800-932-4632 (in Pennsylvania)
- 1-800-537-2238 (National)
