Pennsylvania

Murder Suspect on the Run Aims at Officer Who Survived Shooting 2 Years Ago, Police Say

Monday's incident is the second shooting in the past two years Officer Dorman was involved in.

A Folcroft Police officer who survived a shooting two years ago opened fire at a murder suspect who was aiming a gun at him, investigators said.

The ordeal began around 4:30 p.m. on the 500 block of Central Avenue in Chester when Vincent Franklin, 36, was shot and killed. 

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Vincent Franklin

"He didn't deserve to be gunned down like that in front of our home," Franklin's mother Angela Vines told NBC10. 

Police later released a surveillance photo of the suspect in Franklin's murder. 

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Surveillance photo of the suspect taken during the earlier Chester incident, police say.

About an hour after Franklin's death, police tried to pull over an SUV with New York tags on the 1100 block of Taylor Drive in Folcroft. Investigators believed at least one of the suspects in Franklin's death was inside the vehicle. 

Two men inside the SUV then allegedly fled the scene on foot and Folcroft Officer Chris Dorman pursued. One of the suspects then aimed his gun at Officer Dorman, police said. Dorman then fired two shots at the suspect.

"Use caution, shots fired," could be heard on a police radio call obtained by NBC10.

"I hear, 'Pop! Pop!' And I got scared so I shut the blinds and I literally hit the living room floor," Kathy Sanders, a witness, said. 

The suspect and another man escaped by breaking through a wooden fence and running away, investigators said. Neither Officer Dorman nor any other police officers were injured in the incident

Police advised residents of Folcroft's Delmar Village to shelter in place during the search.

Police believe the man who aimed his weapon at Officer Dorman is the same man who killed Franklin. 

"I just really want the police to catch him," Franklin's girlfriend, Kwashay Jones, said. "I don't wish death on nobody but if that's what happens then it happens. But something's got to give." 

If you recognize or see the suspect, please call 911 or Folcroft Police immediately.

Monday's incident is the second shooting in the past two years that Officer Dorman was involved in. In 2016, Dorman was shot in the face, leg and groin as he approached people suspected of smoking marijuana behind an apartment building in Folcroft.

Dorman later recovered from his injuries and returned to police duty.

"He's not phased by it," Jason Sanders, who witnessed Monday's incident, told NBC10. "It's his job and that's what he's doing. And it takes a lot of courage." 

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