February 03, 2024
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Libao Zheng, 26, is accused of shooting an officer who was part of a narcotics unit serving a warrant. Charges toward Zheng include attempted murder, aggravated assault, assault of a law enforcement officer, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.
Police have named Libao Zheng as the suspect accused of shooting an officer when a narcotics unit served a search warrant at a North Philly home on Wednesday morning.
Officers arrived at Zheng's home, located in the 1300 block of King Place, around 6 a.m. on Wednesday. After officers breached the home, Zheng, 26, shot at a narcotics officer, police say.
According to police, the bullet struck the ballistic vest of the officer, and the shot apparently ricocheted off the right side of his vest and hit his hand. Officers did not fire their weapons during the standoff, said police commissioner Kevin Bethel.
After the shot, officers retreated out of the house. Zheng and one other suspect eventually left the house and surrendered to police.
The injured officer, who has served on the force for 33 years, was taken to Jefferson Hospital. Bethel shared images on social media of the vest that protected the officer.
For the second time in a week, a @phillypolice officer has been shot in the line of duty. My officer's Level-3 vest stopped the bullet, but it still ricocheted into his hand. I am proud of the bravery that our men and women show each and every day. They will NOT be deterred... pic.twitter.com/ZcriSzF47O
— Kevin J. Bethel (@PPDCommish) January 31, 2024
"My officer's Level-3 vest stopped the bullet, but it still ricocheted into his hand. I am proud of the bravery that our men and women show each and every day," Bethel wrote. "They will NOT be deterred and they will not stop in our mission to make this a safer city for everyone."
Charges for Zheng include attempted murder, criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault, assault of law enforcement officer, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and drug charges. Zheng is held on $1 million in bail at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility.
This is the second incident in a week in which a Philly police officer was shot; last Friday, officer Raheem Hall was shot in the leg during an altercation with a suspect in a Fairhill corner store. The incident, which resulted in the killing of suspect Alexander Spencer, is still under investigation.
