PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Wednesday morning in North Philadelphia saw an outbreak of gunfire, which resulted in the death of one suspect and the injury of three SWAT officers who were serving an arrest warrant.
It took place in the 800 block of North 10th Street, close to Brown Street, around 6:30 in the morning.
A suspect who was wanted for murder, as well as other violent crimes, was having a warrant served on him by the police. Raheem Lee, 19, was named as the suspect by sources within the police department.
Lee allegedly opened fire on police officers by shooting through both a door and a window.
According to Deputy Commissioner John Stanford, “Officers were able to continue to breach the property where they took on more gunfire from this individual.”
When they turned around, the officers were struck. Two police officers were wounded; one officer was shot in the leg, and the other officer was shot in the hip.
After a bullet ricocheted off of another officer’s vest, a third officer was struck in the upper chest. He had a serious contusion, but the bullet did not penetrate his skin, according to what we were told.
After that, the suspect allegedly tried to flee through the property’s rear entrance, according to the police, at which point the suspect opened fire on the SWAT officers who had been stationed there.
At least six of the officers opened fire on the suspect, hitting him in the head with their rounds.
After being transported to Temple University Hospital, Lee was pronounced deceased shortly after 7:30 in the morning.
It has been reported to Action News that one of the police officers who was struck drove himself and his partner all the way down 10th Street to get medical attention at Jefferson Hospital.
On the police radio, he was overheard saying, “Let them know I’ve been shot in the hip, and my partner has been shot in the leg.”
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Both the officer who was shot in the hip and the officer who was hit in the chest received treatment at the hospital and were later discharged. It has come to our attention that the law enforcement officer who was shot in the hip was allowed to go home with the bullet still lodged in him. The swelling needs to go down before the doctors can attempt to remove it, so they will wait until then.
The officer who was shot in the leg is still being treated in the hospital. According to the police, the bullet went through that officer’s leg; as a result, he is being detained for the night so that he can be examined.
According to information provided by sources within the homicide unit, Lee was wanted in connection with a murder that took place in the 2600 block of West Berks Street at approximately 2:46 a.m. on Sunday, August 21.
That is the location where the body of a man aged 34 who had been shot in the neck was discovered inside a Range Rover. Theodore Bell, who lived in the 10800 block of Keswick Road, has been identified as the person who was killed.
According to some of Lee’s sources, Bell is the biological father of Lee’s sister’s child.
Additionally, multiple armed robberies were suspected to have been committed by Lee.
The level of gun violence in Philadelphia was described as “ridiculous” by Stanford, who also stated that “it’s enough.”
He stated, “There is not a single day that goes by in which we do not have a child that is shot, or multiple people shot, because there are too many people out here carrying guns, and they do not have consequences.” “There are some people who belong behind bars.”
He stated that something like this should not be taking place because it is not the norm. “Unfortunately, we have been led to believe that this is the normal course of events; however, this is not the case, and this is troubling.”
Stanford placed a strong emphasis on the fact that the suspected shooter on Wednesday was only 19 years old.
According to what he said, “Something has been broken in this young man’s life for a very long time, and it just didn’t start today.”
A number of law enforcement officers made their way to Jefferson Hospital to check on the injured members of SWAT.
According to Mayor Jim Kenney, the officers were sitting up and talking while they were surrounded by members of their families.
Kenney stated that “our officers continue to work each and every single day and each and every single night, to work their best, to be brave, and to put themselves in harm’s way in order to do that for us.”
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A statement was issued by Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, who is currently in Dallas for a conference for police chiefs, condemning acts of violence committed against law enforcement personnel.
“Even though our SWAT officers are highly-trained professionals, this serves as a sobering reminder of the inherent risks that are present in the line of duty that they have chosen. It is never a safe assignment to serve a warrant, but it is especially dangerous to do so when the suspect is wanted in connection with a violent crime “— I quote her.
“But before I go any further, I want to make one thing crystal clear: it is NOT part of the job description for our officers to be shot at. It is not part of their job description to be stabbed, spat on, harassed, or assaulted in any other way. And the normalisation of this kind of violence toward our police – or toward anyone else – cannot continue indefinitely, “She went on to say more. “As the Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department, I can assure you that our officers will not be intimidated, and we will continue to do everything in our power to make Philadelphia a safer place to live.”
Lodge No. 5 of the Fraternal Order of Police The President, John McNesby, has expressed his frustration at the fact that a person who has been linked to charges of armed robbery and murder was even out in public in the first place.
“There is no responsibility on anyone’s part. There is no responsibility. They are shooting at the police, they are shooting members of the community, and they are shooting children, and nothing is being done to stop them. They are doing what they want. They are not being made responsible in any way, “he said.
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