Officials: Armed suspect fatally shot by police following foot chase in North Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- An armed suspect died after being shot by Philadelphia police officers during a foot chase on Thursday afternoon.
The suspect has since been identified by his family as Curtis Smith.
The shooting happened around 2:15 p.m. near the 2200 block of North Camac Street.
Two officers initially responded to investigate a possible stolen vehicle in the area.
When officers arrived, police say they found a vehicle in a field and several individuals using tools to remove seats and airbags among other items.
Smith was allegedly among that group of people.
"The car is in stolen status and it appears as though there was a group of individuals that were out there with a large quantity of tools and they were they were stripping the vehicle," said Sgt. Eric Gripp. "Seats were taken out, airbags were being removed, all kinds of parts were being removed from the vehicle."
According to Gripp, several people ran from the scene while Smith led a police officer on a foot chase.
Police say during the chase, Smith led the officer between the 1200 block of Dauphin Street and the 2200 block of North Camac Street.
There, police say he hit a dead end.
Investigators said the officer fired first after Smith pointed a gun at him.
A second officer heard the gunshots and ran in that direction.
When that officer arrived, he saw his partner engaging in a physical altercation with Smith, who allegedly still had the gun in his hand, according to Gripp.
At some point during the altercation, investigators said Smith fired at least one shot. The second officer then fired several rounds toward Smith, according to police.
Gripp said Smith was shot seven times and that officers then rushed him to Temple University Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Police are still working to determine whether Smith was hit by gunfire from both or just one of the officers.
The officers, who were not injured, have been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation.
Neighbors in the area told Action News they want to see body camera footage of the incident for the sake of transparency.
"He lost his life for what? We need to know," said Brenda from North Philadelphia.
Police confirmed there is body camera footage from both officers. However, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has to make the decision on when, or if, the footage will be released.
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