Philly cop kills man who shot the officer’s partner outside Crescentville hospital, police say

A man who grabbed a Philadelphia police officer’s gun and then shot him with it was killed by the officer’s partner Thursday afternoon outside a hospital in the city’s Crescentville section, police said.

The officers were taking the man to Friends Hospital for a voluntary psychiatric commitment when he shot one of the officers about a quarter inch from the bottom of his tactical vest, which protected him, said Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel. The officer, a 30-year-old who has been on the force for six years, was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he was doing well, Bethel said.

The officers had encountered the 36-year-old man, whom police did not identify, shortly before 12:30 p.m., when they found him running through traffic on the 5000 block of Torresdale Avenue, Bethel said. The man agreed to be voluntarily committed for psychiatric evaluation at the hospital, and was transported without handcuffs in the back of a police van, Bethel said.

As they arrived at the hospital on the 4600 block of Roosevelt Boulevard and were getting out of the police van, the man attacked the officers and a struggle ensued, Bethel said. At some point during the scuffle, after one of the officers unsuccessfully tried to use a Taser, the man grabbed the 30-year-old officer’s gun from his holster and shot him just above his waist, he said.

The officer’s partner fired back and shot his partner’s assailant, he said. The man was taken to Jefferson Einstein Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly afterward, he said.

The officer’s partner, described as 37 years old with 10 years on the force, will be placed on required administrative duty during the department’s internal investigation of the shooting.

At least six Philadelphia police vehicles were on the scene Thursday afternoon. People visiting Friends Hospital, a psychiatric hospital that is one of the nation’s oldest, were being turned away on a road leading to the area where the shooting occurred, which police had blocked with their vehicles.

The incident happened outside the entrance to the hospital. The shooting scene was quiet later Thursday afternoon, with some hospital staff seen casually walking across the leafy, cloistered grounds as news helicopters buzzed overhead.

A person who answered the phone at the hospital said that there was police activity outside, and that all patients and staff were safe, but declined to comment further, referring questions to Philadelphia police.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker praised the bravery of the officers involved in the shooting and expressed relief that the wounded officer was going to be OK because he was shot in his vest.

“But for an inch, we could be here under a very different set of facts,” Parker said in a statement. “As I often say in these difficult moments, I strongly support our Philadelphia Police Officers who are on the front lines, every day, protecting and serving Philadelphians.”

In a statement, Roosevelt Poplar, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, the police union, commended the officers for their bravery and echoed Parker’s gratitude that the injured officer’s tactical vest protected him from more serious injury. “Our injured officer and his partner represent the very best of the Philadelphia police department and we’re thankful for their bravery, integrity, and commitment to serve our great city with the utmost professionalism,” Poplar said.

In a statement, City Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, who represents the 7th Council District, said that her office was monitoring the shooting investigation and that she was “saddened and concerned” by the incident.

“I commend them for their bravery in the midst of this chaotic situation,” she said of the officers. “I am praying for them, their family, friends, and fellow officers. I am incredibly grateful for the bravery of this and every officer in our city and thank them for upholding their commitment to protecting our community.”

It was the second day in a row a city police officer shot someone. On Wednesday in South Philadelphia, an officer shot a man who was armed with a rifle.

Staff writer Robert Moran contributed to this article.