PHILADELPHIA – A woman remains in critical condition after an early-morning officer-involved shooting in Hunting Park, and police have released new details about what led to the gunfire.
Investigators say the woman pointed a gun at officers after ignoring commands and fleeing across Erie Avenue.
What we know:
The shooting happened at 4:11 a.m. Sunday on West Erie Avenue in the 25th Police District. Officers had been dispatched for a report of a person with a gun. When they arrived, police say they encountered a 35-year-old Hispanic woman holding a firearm to the right side of her head.
Officers issued repeated verbal commands ordering her to drop the gun. Police say she did not comply. One officer deployed a Taser, which struck her but had no effect.
According to investigators, the woman then ran across Erie Avenue and pointed the gun toward officers. At that point, two officers fired their weapons, striking her multiple times. She fell to the ground, and the firearm was recovered beside her.
The woman was transported to Temple University Hospital, where she remains in critical condition.
Police say the gun recovered at the scene was a .22-caliber Kel-Tec handgun with an obliterated serial number, loaded with one round in the chamber and nineteen rounds in the magazine.
No officers or civilians were injured.
Charges filed
The woman has been charged with:
- Aggravated assault on police
- Violations of the Uniform Firearms Act (VUFA)
What’s next:
Body-worn cameras were activated throughout the encounter, and the investigation remains in its early stages.
The case is now under review by:
- The Officer Involved Shooting Investigation Unit (OISI)
- The Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB)
- The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office (DAO)
As required by department policy, the officers who discharged their weapons have been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation.
The Source: Information gathered from the Philadelphia Police Department was used in this report.
Crime & Public SafetyPhiladelphia
