Man shot by police after carrying rifle around Point Breeze neighborhood

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A male suspect was wounded in a police-involved shooting on Wednesday morning after he walked around a neighborhood in the Point Breeze section of Philadelphia armed with a rifle.

The incident began around 11 a.m. at 19th and Morris streets after two sheriff's deputies and an employee from the Department of Licenses and Inspections arrived to carry out an inspection on the home.

That's where they were confronted by a male with a rifle.

"The door was answered by a 36-year-old male, he's armed with a rifle. They immediately back up, he wasn't allowing them into the property," said Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore

The trio called 911. The alleged gunman took off on foot walking east on Morris Street.

A woman, who didn't want to be identified, came dangerously close to the suspect before he was shot. She captured the moments on video once she felt the suspect was a safe distance away.

"I was kinda shocked. It happened so fast. It's not every day you see someone walking down the street with a rifle in their hand," she said.

Others were also shocked as the tense moments unfolded.

"I saw the guy walking down the street with a rifle," said witness Robert Thorne. "I said to myself, 'Am I seeing this? This ain't no cowboy days.'"

The suspect continued south on 18th Street, then went east on Moore Street. Philadelphia police officers arrived on the scene and confronted the male on the 1600 block of Moore near Chadwick Street.

"He turned with the weapon, and one officer fired and he was struck - he was struck in the right side. He was immediately scooped and taken to the hospital by police," Vanore said.

Video from Chopper 6 showed the rifle lying on the ground.

That suspect remains in critical condition at an area hospital.

Police have not said how many shots were fired, saying the investigation continues.

No police officers were injured in the incident.