New details about phone calls that led to Philadelphia shooting suspect's surrender

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- New details have emerged about the phone calls that led to the surrender of 36-year-old Maurice Hill, the suspect in the brazen shooting and standoff in Philadelphia's Tioga-Nicetown section on Wednesday that injured nine officers.

Defense attorney Shaka Johnson, who has represented Hill for a long time, says Hill calls him "uncle" and says he received a distraught call from his client around 8 p.m.

"When I said it I said, 'Are you the guy they're talking about on television?' And for the first thirty seconds I had to chastise him a bit," Johnson said.

Johnson called District Attorney Larry Krasner, then they patched in Police Commissioner Richard Ross. Police negotiators broke into the phone call several times.

"I know the conversation had value because he would say to me 'Unc, I hear them upstairs.' I never let on those were the officers leaving. He thought those were the officers coming in and I assured him, 'You have my word nobody is coming in on you upstairs," he said.

Johnson says the officers still inside we're able to escape unharmed because the phone call distracted Hill.

Krasner refuses to take credit for the surrender and gives all the credit to police and the use of tear gas.

"The last thing we wanted was to come out of this with officers going into take him, someone who fired off 100 rounds, and have them fired upon or God forbid killed," Krasner said.

During the conversation, Johnson said no deals were made and that Ross stayed true to his word and did not agree to anything he couldn't come through with for Hill.

Hill has a lengthy rap sheet, including state and federal convictions on weapons charges. Ultimately, Johnson said it was about connecting on a human level that he thinks kept Hill calm and prevented any more officers from getting injured.

Hill was upset about not being able to see his new three day old baby.

"Just talk to somebody like a regular person and it helped that I knew something about him with his family, sister and kids," Johnson said.