Philly police have identified the individual allegedly responsible for a fatal standoff that occurred on Wednesday. Jenkintown man Lawrence Packard, 73, instigated a shootout with SWAT officers that ended with Packard being shot and killed.
The incident occurred early Wednesday morning around 5 a.m. on Roosevelt Boulevard and Borbeck Avenue. According to police, a patrol officer responded to a reported car crash on Roosevelt. Instead, the officer found Packard, parked on a sidewalk at Borbeck in his pickup truck and blaring his horn. The officer spoke to Packard, who stated that he did not need assistance.
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After the officer returned to his patrol car, he heard the apparent sounds of gunfire as he drove off. Turning around, the officer saw Packard wielding a gun, sitting in the driver's seat of his parked car. The officer then took cover behind his vehicle and called for backup. Additional officers arrived at the scene and determined the scene to be a barricade situation.
A SWAT team arrived afterward, and Packard shot in the direction of the officers. The SWAT officers returned fire, fatally wounding Packard. The pickup truck was left with at least seven bullet holes in the windshield.
Medics pronounced Packard dead at the scene around 6 a.m. Officials identified the two SWAT officers involved as Lt. William Schmid, 42, and Officer Patrick Saba, 38.
The two SWAT officers have been placed on administrative duty while police continue to investigate the incident. Packard's motivation for the shooting is still unknown at this time. The bodycam of the officer who initially responded that morning was active but did not capture the shooting itself.
The violent standoff led to temporary lane closures on Roosevelt Boulevard, with the lanes reopening not too long afterward on Wednesday morning.