By Robert Moran
The Philadelphia Inquirer
PHILADELPHIA — Three Philadelphia police officers were shot Wednesday evening in the city’s Rhawnhurst section responding to a report of a domestic shooting, police said.
The suspected shooter was dead after officers returned fire, police said. Another man was found shot inside a home on the 7500 block of Whitaker Avenue, from where the suspect allegedly fired at police.
Shortly before 7:10 p.m., police responded to a call from a 12-year-old saying his father had just shot his uncle, police said. A few minutes later as police arrived to investigate, an officer reported that shots were fired from the house and that he had been shot, police said.
Two officers were shot in the leg and one in the hand, police said. All three were transported to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, where they were reported to be in stable condition.
A woman and child exited the house apparently uninjured, police said.
Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford said there reportedly was a dispute inside the house over a video game possibly being played too loudly, then one man shot the other.
When police arrived, the man described as the boy’s father and the alleged shooter of the uncle was standing in the doorway of the house, possibly waiting for police to arrive, Stanford said at a news briefing outside the hospital where the injured officers were being treated.
“Our officers did exchange gunfire with him,” Stanford said.
“Thank God they’re all OK,” said Mayor Jim Kenney at the news briefing.
The alleged shooter was pronounced dead at the scene on Whitaker Avenue.
The uncle was transported to Jefferson Abington Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.
Council member Katherine Gilmore Richardson posted a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I am deeply saddened and very angry to learn of the shooting of three Philadelphia Police Officers in Northeast Philadelphia,” the council member wrote. “As we await additional details, I am thinking of them, their loved ones and colleagues and praying for their speedy recovery. Enough is enough!”
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