June 24, 2024
Thom Carroll/For PhillyVoice
A Philadelphia police officer, 32, remains in critical condition at Temple University Hospital after he was shot during a traffic stop Saturday evening.
A suspect has been charged in Saturday's shooting of a Philadelphia police officer in Kensington and home invasion following the incident.
Police charged Ramon Rodriguez Vázquez, 36, in with attempted murder, aggravated assault, evading arrest, burglary, kidnapping and more after he was arrested a few hours after the shooting. He faces more than a dozen charges in total.
Just before 8 p.m. that evening, two officers stopped a vehicle with four people inside on the 3500 block of F Street. Vázquez allegedly fled the scene, firing three shots at the officers, according to police. One officer was shot in the neck and remains in critical condition, while the other officer returned fire.
After the shooting, Vázquez allegedly broke into and barricaded himself in a nearby home, taking the homeowner hostage. According to the homeowner, who spoke anonymously to 6ABC through a translator, he was sitting on his steps when Vázquez walked into the home. Vázquez called someone to explain what had happened to the homeowner, and for nearly two hours, the homeowner was forced to remain in a room inside the house.
"[He] says, 'If you try anything, I'm going to pistol whip you and I'm going to keep continue hurting you if you don't cooperate,'" the homeowner told 6ABC.
The three women inside the vehicle with Vázquez are all in custody and cooperating with police. So far, they haven't been charged in the incident. Another person of interest in connection to the shooting is also in custody, and police are not looking for additional suspects.
As of Sunday evening, the officer who was shot is in critical condition and on life support in the ICU at Temple University Hospital. Police say the 31-year-old is a six-year-veteran of Philadelphia police as well as a husband and father.
