by Alex Loyd Gross
April 7, 2022
On April 6,2022 a SEPTA Transit Police Officer was shot after heroically saving the life of another officer. The incident happened in the Frankford section of the city. Police on routine patrol heard gun shots and responded to the area of the gunshots. It was about 7:00 PM when police heard the shots and arrived at Arrot and Lieper Streets and discovered that two females were shot. The females, aged 57 and 42 were taken to a local hospital in stable condition. They were both shot in the hip.
Police saw a male who was armed with the gun running into a property Lieper Sreet. He then shot at responding officers from the second and third floors of the residence. At one point, a Philadelphia officer was pinned down by gunfire and could not get clear. A SEPTA Transit Police Officer was nearby and he grabbed an assault rifle. The officer was SWAT trained and began to engage the suspect in a gunfight. That officer was able to get to safety, but the transit officer was shot one time in the abdomen. He was rushed to Temple Hospital, in critical but stable condition, police said.
That officer has not yet been identified. Sources say his is 28 years old. From his hospital bed, he was able to Facetime his fellow officers who were outside the hospital. When he did that a rousing cheer was heard from blocks away. The officer, while hurt, was going to be okay.
Meanwhile the suspect was still shooting at police and other officers were pinned down, officials said, An armored police vehicle called a BEARCAT was brought in and provided cover so those officers could get to safety. Utilizing infrared technology, police were able to determine that the suspect was not moving inside the residence. They breached the house and found that he has shot himself one time in the head. He was pronounced dead at 8:12 PM. Sources said that he was 18 years old.
The active crime scene was processed well into the night.