Philadelphia police release photos of 6 officers shot during standoff
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Philadelphia Police Department has released images of the six police officers shot in the line of duty during Wednesday's standoff in the Tioga-Nicetown section of the city.
The officers have been identified as:
- Police Officer Joshua Burkitt, 26, a 2-year veteran assigned to the 24th District sustained a gunshot wound to the left hand
- Police Officer Michael Guinter, 32, a 12-year veteran assigned to the Narcotics Strike Force, sustained gunshot wounds to both arms
- Police Officer Shaun Parker, 32, an 11-year veteran assigned to the Narcotics Strike Force, sustained a graze wound to the head
- Police Officer Nathaniel Harper, 43, a 19-year veteran assigned to the Narcotics Strike Force, sustained a gunshot wound to the left leg
- Police Officer Ryan Waltman, 42, a 12-year veteran assigned to the 39th District sustained a gunshot wound to the right hand
- Police Officer Justin Matthews, 31, a 3-year veteran assigned to the 16th District, sustained a graze wound to the left leg
The neighborhood rattled by the standoff is slowly trying to get back to a sense of normalcy.
Crime scene investigators remained on the scene Friday morning. Commissioner Richard Ross expected investigators to remain out there for some time.
"It's such an extensive scene, so many shots fired; we have to be very methodical how we process it," said Ross.
The standoff between suspected shooter 36-year-old Maurice Hill and police lasted hours and ended after his defense attorney Shaka Johnson connected Hill with District Attorney Larry Krasner and Commissioner Ross.
During the phone call between the four men, they were able to calm Hill down, and distract him while two police officers trapped inside escaped. Officers deployed tear gas and Hill surrendered.
Neighbors said the 3700 block of North 15th Street doesn't normally see violence like this.
A longtime neighbor told Action News they didn't recognize Hill.
The Narcotics Strike Force had a warrant for the home Hill was in at the time, but did not know he was there. He was not named in the warrant, according to authorities.
On Thursday, police entered the home with hazmat suits because of the amount of tear gas that was deployed.
Hill, a known drug dealer with an extensive criminal history, was allegedly involved in the shooting of six officers; nine officers in total were injured during the standoff. All have been released from the hospital. There were several civilians in the home, too, but all got out safely.
Police removed an AR-15 believed to be the weapon Hill used.
