Police say officers were forced to shoot the man after he pointed a gun at them and refused to drop the weapon. The suspect later died at the hospital. There were no injuries to witnesses or to police officers.
The incident happened around 11:30 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of 10th and Ontario streets. Officers were alerted that there was a man with a gun on that corner. When they arrived at the scene they spotted the man with the gun stuffed in his waistband. The weapon was later identified as a .357 magnum with a 4-inch barrel.
When officers approached, the man allegedly pulled the weapon from his waistband and pointed it at the officers. Police say officers told the man several times to drop the weapon but he refused. Both officers then fired, striking the man in the torso and legs.
Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small tells us, "The male collapsed still holding the weapon and refusing to drop it. Officers actually had to physically pry the weapon from his right hand."
As you may recall, this is the second police involved shooting in North Philadelphia in recent days. On Tuesday 28-year-old Raymond Brown allegedly opened fire on officers near Temple University Hospital's Emergency Room. In that incident one officer returned fire and Brown was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
