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Philadelphia Parking Authority worker shot, critically wounded

The unidentified worker was shot in the left ear and right shoulder.

A parking ticket on a truck on Filbert Street in Philadelphia, Pa. on Thursday, June 30, 2022. PPA parking enforcement officers have reported an uptick in violence and verbal assaults in the last year.
A parking ticket on a truck on Filbert Street in Philadelphia, Pa. on Thursday, June 30, 2022. PPA parking enforcement officers have reported an uptick in violence and verbal assaults in the last year.Read moreMONICA HERNDON / Staff Photographer

A Philadelphia Parking Authority employee was shot twice Friday afternoon while on duty in the city’s Frankford section, police said.

The unidentified worker was shot in the left ear and right shoulder at 3:51 p.m., police said. He was taken to Temple University Hospital and was listed in critical condition Friday night.

Police had not made any arrests and no weapon was recovered.

No further information was available regarding the motive for the shooting. But Philadelphia Parking Authority workers have faced increased violence in the past few years.

» READ MORE: Threats and assaults on PPA officers have skyrocketed 300% since the pandemic began

In the last three years, physical assaults and verbal threats have almost tripled, according to an analysis in July of PPA reports by The Inquirer.

Employees in the authority — which has already dealt with staff shortages — have grown more and more concerned about their safety while working in the city.

In 2019, parking enforcement officers reported 76 incidents. But in 2021, officers reported 226 incidents, a drastic increase.