Man was ‘scared’ and didn’t intend to shoot Philly officer, defense lawyer says, as details about drug case emerge

As Philadelphia police prepared to serve a narcotics warrant at a Yorktown rowhouse last month, their nearly three-week long surveillance operation of an alleged drug ring was coming to a close.

But before the narcotics unit could complete its objective, the early-morning operation on the 1300 block of Kings Place erupted into chaos.

As police attempted to enter the home on Jan. 31, Libao Zheng, the 26-year-old man who lived there with his wife and 5-month-old child, fired upon them, police said. A bullet ricocheted off one officer’s ballistics vest, hitting him in the hand. Police did not release the officers’ name, but said he was a 30-year veteran of the force. He was released from the hospital that day.

Zheng and another person surrendered after a brief barricade, according to police. Zheng faces charges of attempted murder, aggravated and simple assault, possessing an instrument of a crime, and recklessly endangering another person, as well as drug offenses. He is being held on $1 million bail.

Zheng was set to appear in court on Thursday for a preliminary hearing, but an interpreter was not available and the hearing was rescheduled to April.

Still, as prosecutors and lawyers discussed the case, details emerged about the drug ring that Zheng was allegedly involved with.

The narcotics unit arrested seven people that day, including Zheng, at homes across the city. Their raid would yield more than $1 million worth of marijuana, as well as assault rifles and ammunition, according to prosecutors. At one home on the 400 block of North 12th Street, officers recovered more than 90 heat-sealed bags of marijuana, alongside bags that prosecutors said were for distribution.

Meanwhile, Zheng’s lawyer, David Bahuriak Jr., told Common Pleas Court Judge David Conroy that prosecutors had mischaracterized his client’s actions. Zheng, Bahuriak said, had not intended to shoot the officer, despite his “reckless” reaction to the raid.

“They were scared,” Bahuriak said of Zheng and his family during the officers’ attempted entry. The lawyer also said that Zheng called 911 after realizing what had happened.

Prosecutors cast doubt, reiterating that officers had recovered an assault rifle and extended magazine from Zheng’s home.

The judge denied Bahuriak’s request to lower Zheng’s bail. He did, however, say that video footage and a cell phone recovered from Zheng’s property would be preserved, another request made by the defense lawyer.

Narcotics officers have pushed to join all seven cases in order to avoid having to appear multiple times in court.

But lawyers for the six remaining suspects in the drug investigation urged the judge to separate their clients’ proceedings from Zheng’s, noting that he was the only defendant accused of firing upon an officer.

None of their clients were at Zheng’s residence the morning of the shooting, the lawyers said.