Philadelphia

Officer who was shot in the hand was hit by friendly fire, officials say

Preliminary evidence indicates that the man who was killed, later identified as Dimitri Klimov, never fired a weapon inside the home and that the officer who was shot in the hand was struck by friendly fire, investigators said.

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Investigators have identified the man who was killed during a struggle with Philadelphia police inside a Kensington home last week and also revealed that a responding officer who was shot in the hand was struck by friendly fire. 

Investigators said Dimitri Klimov was arguing with other men along the 2800 block of Ruth Street back on May 31 shortly after 7 p.m. Klimov then went into a nearby home, retrieved a gun, went back outside and fired two shots, investigators said. Klimov then ran back into the house and entered the basement with the gun, according to police. 

At the same time, Officer Thomas Ditro and his partner Officer Tylor Cespedes were patrolling the area of 1800 Hart Lane when they heard the gunshots from Klimov, investigators said. The officers spotted people running from the area and exited their vehicle at the corner of Ruth Street and Hart Lane. That’s where they saw Philadelphia Police Sergeant Michael Spicer who learned from a witness that the gunshots came from the home along the 2800 block of Ruth Street, investigators said. 

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Sgt. Spicer, Officer Ditro, Officer Cespedes and a fourth officer then approached the home and found a fired cartridge casing at the steps of the front door. Sergeant Spicer then heard noise and movement coming from inside the home and forced entry inside to search for any possible shooting victims, investigators said. 

The four officers cleared the first and second floors of the home, locating two women and a man who they escorted outside. The officers then entered the basement where they found Klimov hiding in a crawl space, investigators said. 

Sgt. Spicer went to the larger hole on the right side of the crawl space while Officer Cespedes, Officer Ditro and the fourth officer went to the smaller hole on the left side, according to police. 

The officers repeatedly told Klimov to show his hands and exit the crawl space, investigators said. They also observed Klimov with a rock in his hand and told him to drop it, according to police. Klimov allegedly refused to follow the officers’ commands for several minutes. The fourth unidentified officer then pulled out his Taser and pointed it at Klimov, investigators said. Klimov allegedly grabbed the officer’s Taser which was then deployed. 

Officer Ditro then announced that Klimov was armed with a gun, investigators said. Officer Ditro, Sgt. Spicer and Officer Cespedes then pulled out their weapons and opened fire at Klimov, investigators said. 

The fourth officer then stumbled to the ground and shouted that he had been shot in the right hand. He immediately exited the basement and was taken to Temple University Hospital in stable condition. He was treated at the hospital and released later that night. 

Sgt. Spicer, Officer Cespedes and Officer Ditro contained Klimov inside the crawl space and waited for SWAT officers to arrive, officials said. One of the responding officers used a shovel to reach inside the crawl space and drag out a gun, according to investigators. The gun landed on the basement floor and was kicked away from the immediate area, police said. 

Responding SWAT officers then removed Klimov from the crawl space. He was suffering from gunshot wounds to his chest and was pronounced dead at the scene by medics. 

Preliminary evidence indicates that Klimov never fired a weapon inside the home and that the officer who was shot in the hand was struck by friendly fire, investigators said. Klimov’s gun was recovered at the scene and is being swabbed for DNA, according to police. 

Sgt. Spicer, Officer Cespedes and Officer Ditro were all placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation. The body worn cameras of all three officers were activated during the incident, investigators said. 

Sgt. Spicer is a 28-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department and is currently assigned to the Kensington Police District.  

Officer Cespedes is a 3-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department and is currently assigned to the 24th District. 

Officer Ditro is a 10-month veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department and is currently assigned to the 24th District.  

The officer who was shot in the hand is 27-years-old and has been with the Philadelphia Police Department for about a year, officials said. 

There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.

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