Cops hunt man who shot officer

Five children came within inches of losing their father when a brazen gunman shot a police officer in West Philadelphia yesterday morning.

The incident began about 4 a.m. on 56th Street and Lancaster Avenue when Sgt. Robert Ralston, a 21-year veteran, spotted two men on nearby train tracks, said Deputy Commissioner Richard Ross.

Concerned about recent burglaries in the area, Ralston went to investigate, police said. When he did, one of the men ran westbound on the tracks while the other walked briskly toward the sidewalk.

Ralston tried to stop that man but as he got behind him, the man turned and pointed a silver revolver at Ralston's head, police said.

Just before the gunman fired a single shot, Ralston smacked the pistol away from his head. The bullet went into Ralston's shoulder, Ross said.

"Obviously, this was a tragedy averted," he said.

Ralston returned fire and police believe that the gunman may have been hit once in his torso, although that has not been confirmed.

The gunman - described as a black man in his mid-20s with cornrows and a mark or tattoo under his left eye - ran from the scene and remains at-large.

Investigators are determined to find him, Ross said.

"We will exhaust all our resources," he said. "If someone will do that to a police officer, nobody else is safe."

Ralston, who is assigned to the 19th District, headquartered at 61st and Thompson streets, was taken from the scene by medics to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was treated for the gunshot wound, then released.

Ross said that Ralston, a married father of five, was up and walking yesterday afternoon. He was the first officer to be injured by gunfire in the city this year.

Anyone with information on the gunman or his cohort is urged to call the department's tip line at 215- 686-8477.