Security officer shoots man near Philadelphia’s federal courthouse

A security guard outside the federal courthouse in Center City shot a man who federal officials said threatened him with sharp objects.

The guard was investigating a white Dodge minivan parked in a spot reserved for courthouse personnel near the intersection of Seventh and Filbert Streets at around 9:30 a.m, when a 40-year-old man emerged from the vehicle brandishing what investigators believe to be a knife, U.S. Marshals said.

The security officer gave multiple commands for the man to drop his weapons, according to Robert Clark, a spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, but the suspect continued to make his way toward the officer.

“That court security officer feared for his life and discharged his weapon multiple times,” Clark said at a news conference. “The suspect was struck, fell to the ground, and he was then taken into custody by other court security officers.”

The suspect, whose name was not released, was taken into custody and rushed to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for surgery. His condition was not available Tuesday evening. Federal officials did not say how many times he had been shot.

Clark also did not identify the officer. Many of the security guards who staff the federal courthouse are retired police officers contracted by the Marshals.

The incident remains under investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service, who said Tuesday the man might face possible charges of assaulting a federal officer. Agents will also review the security guard’s use of force, as is standard after shootings by law enforcement officers.

Late Tuesday morning federal investigators and Philadelphia police had cordoned off a portion of Seventh Street between Market and Filbert Streets, gathering around the white van with all its doors open. What appeared to be a sharp object outside the vehicle’s passenger door was on the ground nearby.

“Our evidence response team is processing, and we will conduct any necessary interviews of parties involved as well as witnesses and the investigation will go forward from there,” said Jacqueline Maguire, the head of the FBI’s Philadelphia division.

Neither the guard nor the injured man had been interviewed by investigators, Clark said at Tuesday’s news conference.

“We have policies and procedures as far as the [security officers’] contract that we’re going to have to adhere to,” said Clark, who did not go into specifics.

It’s common practice for security officers to approach people parked in those reserved spots and get them to move, Clark said.

“Specifically, we’re afraid that if someone’s there and they have hazardous material or they have explosives, that could jeopardize the federal building or the courthouse,” said Clark.