Police force mourns fallen Philadelphia officer as search continues for suspects in deadly airport shooting
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The search continued Saturday for the person who shot and killed Philadelphia Police Officer Richard Mendez. He was murdered while trying to stop a car burglary at Philadelphia International Airport Thursday night.
His arm wrapped in a bandage, Philadelphia Police Officer Raul Ortiz wiped away tears as he was discharged from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Saturday afternoon.
Dozens of police lined up to salute the officer and give him a round of applause.
A group of police officers then escorted him on the drive home.
"A happy day to see him get out of the hospital, knowing that he's on the road to recovery as far as his arm, but it's really his mind and his heart that's going to need some time to heal," Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford said.
Officer Ortiz survived a shooting that left his friend and colleague, Officer Mendez, dead. The two were shot while confronting a group of armed car thieves in a parking garage at Philadelphia International Airport.
"Emotionally, I'm hanging in there," Officer Eddie Lopez said.
Philadelphia Officer Eddie Lopez, president of the Spanish American Police Officers Association, said he knew Officer Mendez for 21 years.
"This is a loss, not just for us," Lopez said. "It's a loss for you, the civilians of Philadelphia, to lose an officer who came in to work every day and did the job."
Officer Lopez said he's been in constant communication with the fallen officer's family. He said an effort is underway to pay for the college tuition of Officer Mendez's daughter, who goes to Temple University.
"My members are not just members, they're family members to me," Lopez said. "So whatever the daughter, the wife needs, we're there."
Meantime, police are working around the clock to identify the suspect seen in the video, wanted in connection with the deadly shooting. The reward has increased to $225,000.
"The tons of support and love that have poured in over the past few days, the number of elected officials, even a call from President Biden yesterday," Stanford said. "You know, to just give that support is what our women and men need to know."
The community supporting police, and police supporting each other, as the city mourns a fallen hero.
