A man who shot and wounded a police officer in a corner store in north Philadelphia was killed by another officer, authorities said Saturday.
Authorities were searching for another man who scooped up the shooter’s gun and fled.
The shooting happened Friday night after two officers patrolling the city’s Fairhill section entered the store and approached a group of men, police said. As they tried to stop one of the men, 28-year-old Alexander Spencer scuffled with an officer and fired a shot that hit an officer in the thigh, police said.
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Police said the other officer then returned fire, hitting Spencer. He was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police said the wounded officer, who officials originally said had been hit twice, was also taken to the hospital and listed in stable condition.
The Philadelphia Energy Solutions oil refinery is seen in front of the Philadelphia skyline. (REUTERS/David M. Parrott )
Police on Saturday distributed photos of the unidentified man being sought in connection with the suspect’s gun, calling him a person of interest in the investigation and saying he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Police said the wounded officer has been on the force for nine years and the officer who fired has been on the force for five years; officials originally said both had been with the department for six years.
The city’s police commissioner, Kevin Bethel, decried the violence against officers, saying he had “been here too many times.”
“I’m proud of the men and women who work for me, I am proud of the fact that they go into these areas and they fight this battle each and every day,” he said.
Mayor Cherelle Parker expressed relief that the officer would “survive this terrible incident” but said the violence in the city “must not and cannot be permitted to stand.”
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“This sense of lawlessness must stop in the city of Philadelphia,” she said. “There are far too many guns in our city, and too many too willing to pick up a gun.”
