Police Release Surveillance Video Of Deadly Police-Involved Shooting In Germantown
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Philadelphia Police have released surveillance video of a deadly police-involved shooting in Germantown.
The incident happened at about 10 p.m. near the 4500 block of Wayne Avenue on Wednesday night (see previous story).
Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey and Mayor Michael Nutter held a press conference Friday evening at Police Headquarters to display the video. They say that they want people to know the fire power and the violence that Philadelphia Police are facing.
City cameras captured a suspect shooting at two men running away as a Philadelphia police officer pulled up, ordering the man to drop his gun, then shooting him when he doesn't, but the gunman just keeps firing.
"After (the officer) fires, the suspect fires again. You can see right there in the flash. The officer fires again, then you see the individual start to turn," said Ramsey.
The gunman was killed in the confrontation along Wayne Avenue Wednesday night. Neither officer nor gunman's two targets was hurt. Officials took the extraordinary step of releasing the video, because after seven officer-involved shootings in a week, four of them fatal, they wanted city residents to understand the violence police are facing.
"They are highly trained, highly skilled and I expect that they are going to defend themselves under any set of circumstances," said Nutter.
Officials point out the video, shot by a city camera, shows that both the camera, and the 39th District officer, were where they needed to be - trying to stop a violent gunman, spraying bullets through a busy intersection and neighborhood.
"Stop pointing weapons at Philadelphia police officers. Real simple," said Nutter.
Despite the recent police-involved shootings, police-involved shootings for this year are actually down 21 percent, year-to-year. As for assaults on police, so far this year 172 officers have been attacked.
