Philadelphia Police Officers Shot 15 Times in Ambush; Suspect Found Hiding in Tree

Two Philadelphia police officers were hospitalized early Saturday after being shot while answering a call in the western section of the city.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said one officer, a 40-year-old parent of two, was struck by gunfire three times during the incident.

The second officer, a 33-year-old with five children, was shot 12 times, according to Bethel.

“I am so damn proud of the men and women who serve in this department. Consistently, they go into danger, and they give their lives for this job,” Bethel told reporters. “And so we ask for those prayers, and we ask for you to support our men and women out there, and what they give for this profession.”

The officers were dispatched shortly after 12:20 a.m. to 140 North 52nd Street after police received a report of a man with a gun on a porch, Bethel said.

Roughly 30 minutes later, the officers reached the property. As they stood on the porch, they were met with what Bethel described as “significant gunfire.”

After the shooting, responding officers and a SWAT team located the two original officers wounded on the porch, according to Bethel.

The gunman also opened fire on two additional officers, Bethel said. SWAT officers later found the suspect hiding in a tree and took him into custody.

The wounded officers were transported to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center for surgery. Their current conditions have not been released.

“We are praying now that our officers make it through this terrible situation,” Bethel said.

Local outlet WPVI reported that the suspect ambushed the officers by running down an alley and firing at them.

Bethel said the suspect, whose identity has not been made public, was carrying two handguns and a shotgun. One of the handguns belonged to one of the wounded officers.

The Philadelphia Police Department did not immediately respond to News Outlet’s request for comment.