What to Know
- Officer Giovanni Maysonet underwent surgery and is expected to recover after he was shot twice during a traffic stop in West Philadelphia on Wednesday. Two men were arrested and charged in the shooting.
- Eric Haynes is charged with 2 counts each of Attempted Murder, Aggravated Assault, Assault of a Law Enforcement Officer, Recklessly Endangering Another Person, and Simple Assault. He will also be charged with Violation of the Uniform Firearms Act, Possession of an Instrument of Crime, Tampering with Evidence, Obstructing Justice, Evading Arrest, and Resisting Arrest. He was wanted out of Delaware County for allegedly resisting arrest at the time of the shooting.
- Ernest Reed is charged with Tampering With Evidence, Obstructing Justice, Possession of an Instrument of Crime, and Recklessly Endangering Another Person. He was on state parole at the time of the shooting.
Two men who were both wanted out of Delaware County are now charged in the shooting of a Philadelphia Police Officer during a traffic stop in West Philadelphia Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
On Wednesday night, officers arrested Eric Haynes, 45, of Darby, Delaware County, in the rear alley behind the 6800 block of Guyer Avenue, police said Thursday.
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Haynes is charged with 2 counts each of Attempted Murder, Aggravated Assault, Assault of a Law Enforcement Officer, Recklessly Endangering Another Person, and Simple Assault. He will also be charged with Violation of the Uniform Firearms Act, Possession of an Instrument of Crime, Tampering with Evidence, Obstructing Justice, Evading Arrest, and Resisting Arrest.
Haynes was wanted out of Delaware County for allegedly resisting arrest in an unrelated incident. He also has a lengthy criminal record that prohibited from legally owning or purchasing a firearm, investigators said.
Officer Maysonet -- a 32-year-old serving the 19th District who is a five-year veteran of the force -- and his partner, Officer Mychal Couch, 28, were conducting a traffic stop and approached a vehicle along the 200 block of North 60th Street around 3:40 p.m., police said.
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“The car in question here has probably the darkest tinted windows I’ve ever seen,” Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore said during a Thursday afternoon press conference.
Investigators said Haynes was a passenger inside the car while 42-year-old Ernest Reed aka Raymond Williams was the driver. An unidentified woman was inside the car as well, investigators said.
Officer Couch approached the driver's side of the car while Officer Maysonet approached the passenger's side.
Investigators said Haynes then tried to flee the scene and Officer Maysonet tried to detain him, leading to a struggle between the two men.
“It’s in that moment, in that split second, that Officer Maysonet is trying to get the defendant to turn around that shots are fired,” Pescatore said. “You can see all of that on the body worn camera.”
Haynes allegedly pulled out a gun and fired at least twice, striking Officer Maysonet in his bulletproof vest in the chest area.
“He actually shot this police officer with the gun in his hooded sweatshirt in the pocket,” Pescatore said. “The gun is never visible and you see a flash. So Officer Maysonet is lucky to be alive.”
Investigators said Officer Couch pulled out his own weapon and fired but didn't strike Haynes, Reed or the woman. The two suspects and the woman then fled the scene as Officer Couch drove his partner to the hospital.
"I think I'm shot twice," Officer Maysonet says in dispatch audio obtained by NBC10. "Tell my family I love them if I don't make it."
He also gave out information about the suspect.
"It was a light-skinned, older male. He has braids," Officer Maysonet says. "He had like an ashy, black hoodie on. Tattoos on his hands. That's all I got."
Pescatore said she was amazed by the way Officer Couch kept his cool as he drove his partner to Penn Presbyterian Hospital.
“Officer Maysonet was calling his family from the car, talking about his children,” Pescatore said while fighting back tears. “So it was quite emotional. But Officer Couch got him to that hospital within minutes. And that’s a testament to him and his training that kicked in."
Maysonet underwent surgery at the hospital where he was listed in critical condition. Officials said one of the bullets hit his bulletproof vest, while the other hit him in his stomach and exited through his back.
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"There's absolutely relief that we're not reporting on an officer death but it doesn't take away the anger that I feel. The frustration that we all feel," Outlaw said.
Shortly after the shooting, SWAT members surrounded a nearby home on Race and Edgewood streets. The entire area was closed off as police investigated.
"When I left my first job off of Walnut, we saw plenty of cops coming around. Then by the time I got down here, it was all blocked off and it's all on the news," Denayah Pringle, a witness, told NBC10.
A daycare is located near the home that was surrounded by SWAT officers. Families scrambled to get their children to safety.
"It's dangerous," Pringle said. "Kids can't even play outside. We can't go to work and school. It's always something. It's just too much."
Police took at least four people into custody near the home on Race and Edgewood shortly before 6 p.m. Another man was arrested Wednesday night along the 6800 block of Guyer Avenue.
Of the multiple people who were taken into custody, only Haynes and Reed were charged. Reed is charged with Tampering With Evidence, Obstructing Justice, Possession of an Instrument of Crime, and Recklessly Endangering Another Person. He was on state parole at the time of the shooting.
The woman who was in the car with Haynes and Reed will not face charges.
“There was a third person in the car who by all indications is innocent of any crime and therefore no charges are being brought against her,” Krasner said.
Officials said Haynes and Reed both live in the area where they were pulled over. They also said they recovered the weapon Haynes allegedly used in the shooting as well as a BB gun rifle in the back of the vehicle.
Earlier in the day, Mayor Jim Kenney commended both officers for their bravery.
"They go out every day and try to keep us safe and they put their lives in harm's way," Kenney said. "And we can't really repay them for doing that kind of work. So our prayers are with the officer and to all of our officers."
Officer Maysonet's family joined him at Presbyterian Hospital on Wednesday. Dozens of police officers also waited outside the hospital throughout the afternoon and night.
"I think we tend to forget that after the surgeries, after the shootings, there's still trauma there," Outlaw said. "There's still healing. There's still additional surgeries."
Meanwhile, residents who witnessed Wednesday's chaos remain concerned over the gun violence in Philadelphia.
"I'm just very hurt to see officers get shot in any kind of matter," Marvin Robinson told NBC10. "Because they're out here just to protect us. And the city of Philadelphia already got too much gun violence. And this is part of the reason why we have to come to a solution with guns. Because when officers are here to protect us and they're getting shot, then look where we're at."
It's unclear if Haynes or Reed have attorneys that can speak on their behalf at this time.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
