Philadelphia Officials Identify Man Killed In Overbook Police-Involved Shooting As 31-Year-Old Koffi Dzima
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia police responded Tuesday to a report of a disturbance in Overbrook that led to an officer being shot and a 31-year-old man dying. Police identified that suspect as 31-year-old Koffi Dzima on Wednesday.
Police also say it's possible he was experiencing mental health issues.
Now, investigators are working to figure out why a taser that was deployed may not have worked as intended.
Police say a 35-year-old officer was shot by another officer after being attacked by Dzima, who was armed with a hammer and pickaxe Tuesday afternoon.
Police say the incident unfolded as officers were responding to a call over an argument.
But officers were quickly confronted by Dzima, who was armed, so one officer deployed a taser. Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said this Tuesday.
"The offender briefly dropped to the ground but immediately got right back up and rushed the officers," Outlaw said.
Eyewitness News followed up with Outlaw on Wednesday at the city's twice-monthly crime briefing about why the taser did so little to stop the suspect, and she said the investigation is ongoing.
"There are so many factors," Outlaw said. "If someone is actually moving it can impact how the prongs make contact and then the distance is also another key factor in that. So until we are able to peel back all the layers we won't know."
But even if a taser makes contact with someone, Outlaw said it doesn't always work as intended.
"In some instances, if you're a really determined person, it wouldn't be effective at all," she said.
Officials haven't said yet if that was the case with the suspect who was attacking an officer in Overbrook Tuesday, but two other officers fired at Dzima, who later died.
An officer was also struck by a bullet in his leg during the incident and is still recovering at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
Eyewitness News reporters Matt Petrillo and Natasha Brown contributed to this story.
