2 Philadelphia police officers recovering after being shot in Holmesburg shootout
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Two Philadelphia Highway Patrol officers are recovering at home after they were shot during a shootout in the city's Holmesburg neighborhood early Sunday morning. For one of the officers, it was the second time being shot on the job.
One of the officers has been on the job for six years. The other, nine years. Both were in the area to investigate a shooting when they became the victim of a shooting themselves.
The shooting left the police officers' back windshield shattered and the suspect's pickup truck full of bullet holes.
"I had an opportunity to speak with both officers," Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford said on Dec. 10. "So, we are very blessed and lucky to be able to know that they're going to recover from this incident."
Officials said around 2 a.m. Sunday, police got a call about a man in a pickup truck firing a gun at Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard.
"When officers are arriving and surveying, a second district supervisor notices a vehicle that fits the description of possibly being involved in that shooting," Stanford said. "Officers attempt to stop that vehicle. The vehicle fled from officers, at some point taking the officers on a pursuit."
Police claimed the officers came across the gunman at Frankford Avenue and Welsh Road in Holmesburg, where he rammed his pickup truck into the officers' car.
When the officers got out, police said the suspect opened fire.
The first officer suffered a graze wound to his nose. He was treated and released from Jefferson Torresdale Hospital.
The second officer was shot in the ankle and grazed in the head. He was released from the hospital Monday afternoon. This is the second time that officer has been shot on the job.
"When I said they will physically recover," Stanford said, "it still is a very heavy thing mentally to know that you've been shot in the head, to know that you've been shot in the face, again, just doing your job."
The two wounded officers, along with two other officers, returned fire and shot the 40-year-old suspect. At last check, he was critical at Jefferson Torresdale Hospital.
All four officers involved have been placed on administrative leave while an internal affairs investigation takes place, which is standard procedure for the department.
