Officials: Officer who was shot in hand was hit by friendly fire; man fatally shot by police ID'd
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Police say the Philadelphia officer who was shot in the hand last week in the city's Kensington neighborhood was struck by friendly fire.
It happened inside a home in the 2800 block of Ruth Street last Wednesday.
Officers responded to the area for reports of shots being fired. At the scene, the officers saw spent shell casings leading to a house in the area.
After clearing the first and second floor of the residence, police say officers entered the basement where they found a man identified as Dimitri Klimov in a crawlspace.
Police say Klimov, who was observed with a rock in his hand, refused to leave the crawlspace after several requests.
SEE ALSO: Philadelphia officer shot in hand; man dies after being shot by police inside home
According to investigators, "Officer A" then drew his Taser and pointed it at Klimov after further refusal to leave the space.
At one point, authorities say Klimov tried to grab the device, which then prompted the officer to deploy the Taser.
While still in the crawlspace, authorities say another officer announced that Klimov was armed with a gun. In response, three officers -- Sgt. Michael Spicer, Officer Tylor Cespedes and Officer Thomas Ditro -- discharged their weapons.
"Officer A" was shot in the hand and taken to Temple University Hospital where he was later released.
Klimov suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his chest. He was pronounced at the scene by Philadelphia Fire Department medics.
Further investigation revealed Klimov did not discharge a weapon inside the residence and that "Officer A" was hit by friendly fire.
It was also learned that prior to the arrival of police, Klimov was allegedly having an argument with unknown males on the block and had gone into the residence to retrieve his gun. Witnesses say Klimov came back outside and fired two gunshots before entering the basement with the gun.
The three officers who fired their weapons were wearing body cameras that captured the incident. All three were placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation.
Police say Klimov was in possession of a semi-automatic weapon, which was recovered at the scene.
Sgt. Spicer is a 28-year veteran of the department and is assigned to the Kensington Police District. Officer Cespedes is a 3-year veteran and is assigned to the 24th District. Officer Ditro is a 10-month veteran and is assigned to the 24th District.
