Family identifies man killed in officer-involved shooting in Northeast Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A man is dead and a police officer was shot in his bulletproof vest during an exchange of gunfire on Thursday afternoon in Northeast Philadelphia.
The shooting happened around 12:45 p.m. at Friends Hospital in the 4600 block of E. Roosevelt Boulevard.
The bullet did not pass through the officer's vest. Still, the officer was taken to Temple University Hospital to be checked out.
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said it all began around 12:24 p.m. when officers saw a man who was running through traffic naked in the 5000 block of Torresdale Avenue.
The officers made contact with the man, who officials said was having a mental health episode. Police say the man, who was identified by family as 36-year-old Aaron Rainey, agreed to be voluntarily committed.
Rainey was put in the back of a police wagon but was not handcuffed, Bethel said, because he was going voluntarily.
When they arrived at Friends Hospital, the officers and the man got out of the wagon.
Bethel said that's when the Rainey turned and attacked the officers, and soon the officers were down on the ground with the man.
The officers tried tasing Rainey, Bethel said, but were not successful.
The man was then able to get a hold of an officer's weapon. That's when police say gunfire was exchanged between the man and the officer's partner. Rainey was shot multiple times. He was taken to Einstein Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The man's family and friends are mourning his death and demanding answers.
"I'm still in disbelief. How did it go from there to him being dead?" said Hester Eurie, a friend and neighbor of Rainey.
"Mentally, you don't know what he's going to do when he's back there in that van. He could have dug his eyes out. He could have done anything. They should have handcuffed him," added Eurie.
The officer was hit just an inch from the bottom of his bulletproof vest.
It's unclear at this time if the officer was shot with his own weapon. Police say that is part of the investigation.
The officer who was shot is 30 years old and has been on the force for six years. His partner is 37 years old and is a 10-year veteran of the force.
Rainey was known as a handyman on his street who was always willing to help everyone.
The names of the officers involved have not been released.
