January 27, 2024
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
A shootout occurred at a convenience store on Mascher and Cambria Streets. One police officer was shot twice in the leg and a suspect was shot and killed. Police are searching for a man who allegedly picked up the suspect's gun after the shootout.
A shootout in Fairhill left one Philadelphia police officer shot twice in the leg and a suspect killed. The incident took place at a convenience store on Mascher and Cambria Streets around 8:45 p.m. on Friday.
According to police, two officers on patrol followed a man into the convenience store at North Mascher Street, and an altercation began after the officers noticed that the man was armed; the man then fired at the officers.
One of the officers was struck by gunfire in the thigh; the officer's partner returned fire, shooting the suspect. All three were brought to Temple University Hospital, where the shot officer is expected to recover, while the suspect was pronounced dead. Neither of the officers nor the suspect were named by police last night.
Philly Police and Mayor Cherelle Parker held a briefing outside of Temple University Hospital. According to police commissioner Kevin Bethel, the injured officer had six years on the job.
"I've been here too many times," Bethal said with a tinge of anger. "It is unacceptable that my officers—that my men and women are shot on these streets of Philadelphia."
Police are searching for a man they say took the suspect's gun after the shootout. Surveillance photos show the man wearing a black cap and a red hoodie.
This subject is wanted for questioning in reference to the shooting of a @PhillyPolice Officer on 1/26/24 at 2800 N. Mascher Street. He was seen leaving the scene of the incident with a firearm. Consider this subject armed and dangerous. Call 911 or 215-676-TIPS(8477) with info pic.twitter.com/IRFikN8oEx
— Philadelphia Police Department (@PhillyPolice) January 27, 2024
Mayor Parker affirmed her strong support for the police at the press conference, saying that she and her team "has their back." Parker stated that "the violence in our city must not and cannot be permitted to stand. And I've said it over and over again that this sense of lawlessness must stop in the city of Philadelphia."
Parker recommitted to seeking "new strategies and policies" to combat violence and make the city safer. "There are far too many guns in our city, and too many too willing to pick up a gun."
