PHILADELPHIA, PA — Two Philadelphia police officers were shot a combined 15 times early Saturday while responding to a report of a man with a gun in West Philadelphia, authorities said.
One officer, 40, was shot three times, while a second officer, 33, was shot 12 times, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said during a news conference Saturday morning.
Both officers were taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where they remained in surgery at the time of the briefing. Their conditions were not immediately available, and Philadelphia police did not immediately respond to Patch's request for more information.
Police received a report of a man with a gun on a porch at 140 N. 52nd St. around 12:22 a.m. Officers were dispatched about 30 minutes later and encountered heavy gunfire as they approached the porch, Bethel said.
The 40-year-old officer has two children. The 33-year-old officer is a nine-year veteran of the department and has five children, according to Bethel.
Additional officers responding to the scene were fired upon at least twice as police worked to contain the suspect, Bethel said.
A SWAT team eventually located the man hiding in a tree and took him into custody.
Police recovered two handguns and a shotgun, including a handgun Bethel said was taken from one of the wounded officers after he was shot.
Authorities did not immediately identify the suspect or announce charges.
Bethel praised the responding officers and asked the public to pray for those wounded.
"I am so damn proud of the men and women who serve in this department," Bethel said. "Consistently, they go into danger, and they give their lives for this job."
The commissioner said he was grateful to the medical staff treating the officers and expressed confidence in their care.
Police said they would release additional information at a later time.
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