3 Philly SWAT Officers Shot Serving Warrant, Murder Suspect Killed

Three Philadelphia police SWAT officers were shot while serving a homicide warrant at a home early Wednesday and a 19-year-old inside that home was killed in the exchange of gunfire.

The shootout played out in a home along North 10th Street, near Brown Street in North Philadelphia's Poplar section just after 6 a.m., Philadelphia police said. Police officers and vehicles could be seen throughout the area.

One officer, a 27-year veteran, was struck in the chest, while the two other officers -- a 15-year-vet and a 29-year-vet -- were struck in their legs, Philadelphia police said.

Each officer survived the shooting and was "doing well" while being treated at Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said outside the Center City hospital Wednesday morning. The officer shot in the chest was wearing a vest, which deflected the bullet.

Kenney said the officers were "sitting up" and "talking" at the hospital. Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Mike Cram said just after noon that two of the officers were released.

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The focus of the warrant was a 19-year-old man wanted in an August homicide and at least two armed robberies, Deputy Police Commissioner John Stanford said at the impromptu news conference.

"Something has been broken in this young man's life for a long time and it didn't just start today," Stanford said of the teenage suspect.

Shortly after noon, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner identified the suspect at Raheem Lee and said he approved the arrest warrant for Lee in the Aug. 21 killing of family member Theodore Bell on Aug. 23.

Officers looked to serve that warrant for the West Berks Street murder on Wednesday morning.

Police took on gunfire through the door and window of the home as they attempted to knock and announce their presence, Stanford said.

Officers pushed forward and managed to get into the home as they continued to take more gunfire, Stanford said.

The gunman then ran through the home and tried to flee out of the back of the home, Stanford said. Officers in the back of the home then exchanged gunfire with Lee, hitting him several times.

Lee was rushed from the scene and later died at Temple University Hospital, investigators said.

A person could be seen being loaded into an ambulance on nearby 9th Street, reported NBC10's Miguel Martinez-Valle. It's unclear how that person was involved.

"This is ridiculous," Stanford said while referencing his anger over rampant gun violence in Philadelphia that has included other recent incidents where police officers were fired at, including one just last week.

"These officers sign up to do a job, it's to protect and serve, but not to take gunfire," Stanford. "At some point it becomes enough and I think we've already passed that point."

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw -- who is in Dallas, Texas, for the Major Cities Chiefs’ Conference -- echoed that sentiment in a prepared written statement:

"Let me make sure something is perfectly clear: it is NOT the job of our officers to be shot at," Outlaw wrote. "It is not their job to be stabbed, spat upon, accosted or attacked in any way. And this type of violence towards our police - towards anyone - can not continue to be normalized."

Outlaw said she was "disgusted by this violence" and noted that residents, business owners and children "are tired of it."

"We are long past 'enough is enough.'"

Stanford said the teenage suspect was wanted on the murder charge and multiple armed robberies. He had not previously been convicted of any crimes in adult court, according to court records.

"I'm not pointing the finger at anybody, I'm pointing the finger at everybody because too many people have guns," he said. "This is an all hand's on deck situation where everybody needs to be held accountable."

"There isn't any accountability," he said. "This should not be happening."

Though Lee had no previous criminal convictions, Outlaw insinuated an issue with ongoing gun violence from repeat offenders.

Outlaw said "we are tired of arresting the same suspects over and over again, only to see them right back out on the street to continue and sometimes escalate their criminal ways."

"We are tired of having to send our officers into harm's way to serve warrants on suspects who have no business being on the street in the first place," she wrote. "No - not everyone needs to be in jail. But when we repeatedly see the extensive criminal histories of those we arrest for violent crime, the question needs to be asked as to why they were yet again back out on the street and terrorizing our communities."

Police taped off part of North 10th Street for hours as they continued to investigate the shooting. At least 36 evidence markers could be seen on the ground.

Neighbor Elaine Fowler said it sounded "like we were in a war zone" as gunshots echoed through the neighborhood.

Stanford said other people were in the home at the time of the shootout, but that those people didn't appear to have anything to do in it.

At least two people could also be seen apparently handcuffed and being led past the police tape by officers.

Kenney praised the officers' bravery.

"It just shows that our officers continue every single day and every single night to work their best, to be brave and to put themselves in harm's way," Kenney said.

Krasner said his officer's cases rely heavily on investigative police work and "on the highly dangerous duty they have to apprehend criminal suspects in a society where guns outnumber people."

"The work of SWAT is crucial and extraordinarily dangerous," Krasner wrote. "We are grateful for the bravery and selflessness of Philadelphia Police officers and other law enforcement officers in our partner agencies."

Entering Wednesday, at least 424 people have been killed in Philadelphia, according to Philadelphia police homicide data. That's down about 2% from last year, which wound up setting the city record for homicides in a year.