Suspected gunman charged after officer shot outside Overbrook high school

Officials said Thursday morning that a suspected gunman has been apprehended and charged after a Philadelphia police officer was shot in the stomach while attempting to break up a fight outside Overbrook High School.

Philadelphia Police Department Commissioner Kevin Bethel provided the update in an address ahead of a ceremony on Thursday, at the headquarters of police union, FOP Lodge 5, in Northeast Philadelphia, that was intended to recognize officers and civilians for extraordinary acts.

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Bethel said 30-year-old Dachan Seay is in police custody and has been charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, weapon violations and other offenses.

Also, Bethel said, the officer suffered a "significant wound," but, he is out of surgery and is recovering at the hospital.

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"I've been told that he's already up talking," said Bethel.

Asked why the 30-year-old Seay was outside the school when the fighting occurred, Bethel said investigators were still unsure why he was there and why he brought a gun.

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But, he said, an investigation is ongoing.

The update comes after a Philadelphia police officer was shot by an armed gunman who was in the crowd when a large fight broke out outside of Overbrook High School, along the 5800 block of Lancaster Avenue, at about 2:42 p.m. on Wednesday.

The officer, police said, was shot in the stomach when a suspected gunman fired a shot that hit the ground and ricocheted back up, striking the 26-year-old rookie police officer under his bulletproof vest.

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In talking to members of the press shortly after the shooting occurred, Bethel said that the officer was taken to a nearby hospital where he was listed in critical condition, but is expected to survive.

The officer, Bethel said, has been an officer for a little over a year and had been assigned to the city's 19th police district.

No other officers fired their firearms during the incident, Bethel said.

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as new information becomes available.