An armed robbery suspect shot a police officer, a homeowner and then himself in North Philadelphia, investigators said. Two officers who were transporting the injured suspect to the hospital were then involved in a crash that was captured by SkyForce10.
The ordeal began shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday when a 26th District officer responded to a reported armed robbery on the 400 block of Harlan Street.
While speaking to the victim, the officer spotted a man who matched the description of the suspect. As the officer approached him, the suspect pulled out a gun and opened fire, police said. The officer was shot twice in the shoulder and the suspect fled the scene, according to investigators.
"I was just in my house right here and there were two really loud gunshots, one after the other," Jimmy McGuinness, a neighbor, told NBC10.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
NBC10 obtained surveillance video showing the moment the officer was shot.
The fleeing suspect ended up in the back of a property on the 1400 block of Lawrence Street. When the homeowner waved down police, the suspect fired his gun again, police said. The homeowner was shot once in the thigh.
The responding officers chased after the suspect, who fled down an alley along the 1400 block of North Leithgow Street. The suspect then shot himself in the head, police said.
While officers transported the suspect to the hospital, they crashed into another vehicle on 10th and Oxford streets. The crash was captured by SkyForce10.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw condemned the violence in a press conference late Tuesday night.
“This is just unimaginable, unimaginable. And these officers are out here doing what they’re trained to do. They run toward the danger. That’s what all of these officers here did and they’re here in an emergency room," she said.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
The officer and homeowner who were shot, the two officers involved in the crash and the injured suspect were all taken to the hospital. Everyone except the injured suspect were released from the hospital. The suspect remains in critical condition.
