A suspect in a drive-by shooting was killed by police after he shot a detective following a chase in Chester, Pennsylvania, over the weekend, officials said.
The ordeal began Saturday around 11:30 a.m. along the 900 block of Pennell Street in Chester.
Police said a black Ford Taurus pulled up to an unidentified victim and the driver inside the vehicle opened fire before fleeing the scene. The victim was shot at least once. Officials said the victim survived and is expected to recover.
Investigators said surveillance video captured the vehicle and they identified the suspected gunman as 40-year-old Torraize Armstrong, the Taurus' owner.
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Hours later, shortly before 3:30 p.m., Chester Police Detective Steven Byrne received a radio call that the vehicle was spotted in Chester. Detective Byrne -- who was off-duty at the time -- spotted the vehicle and attempted to pull it over near the intersection of 9th and Kerlin streets, investigators said.
The driver of the Taurus, identified as Armstrong, fled the scene and a chase ensued, police said. Detective Byrne as well as other Chester and Upland police officers pursued Armstrong as he drove into Upland Borough and then back into Chester. The car then blew out a tire as Armstrong tried to turn, police said.
Armstrong exited the vehicle, pulled out a gun and opened fire, according to investigators.
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Detective Byrne was shot once, police said. Byrne, two other Chester officers and an Upland police officer pulled out their own weapons and fired, shooting and killing Armstrong.
Byrne was taken to the hospital and was later released. He is expected to recover. Officials said Byrne is a 16-year veteran of the police force and one of the "most senior detectives" in the Chester Police Department.
"Detective Byrne and his fellow officers were our heroes," Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said. "They stopped an individual who was very dangerous."
No other officers were injured during the incident.
Court documents show that Armstrong, who lived in Chester, had an extensive criminal history dating back to 2007 in which he was charged with a weapons offense.
Detective Byrne is the fifth officer who was shot in the Philadelphia region in the past 23 days. All five officers survived the shootings.
Stollsteimer cited illegal guns on the streets as a factor in the shootings.
"We have too many people who shouldn't have those guns," Stollsteimer said.
Stollsteimer said understaffing in police departments has also played a role. Chester Fraternal Order of Police President John Ross told NBC10 the Chester Police Department has been down about 50 officers for years.
“And we really have to do a better job here in Chester of retaining and recruiting officers or else you’re going to have issues like this happen. It’s going to continue to happen,” Ross said. “We do more everyday with less. And that’s not a good thing but that’s what we come to work for.”
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