Breaking: One Philadelphia Officer Killed, Another Critical After Ambush; Suspect in Custody

🚨 BREAKING: A Philadelphia police officer is dead and another is in critical condition after an ambush while responding to a call about an armed suspect early this morning.Police say the suspect shot one officer 12 times and the other three times. SWAT found him hiding in a… pic.twitter.com/NvF8mdhCqV

The attack on the law enforcement officers appeared to be unprovoked, something Philadelphia police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel included during a press conference Saturday morning on the call. He said:

…”[A]thorities received a call at 12:22 a.m. that a man with a gun was on the porch of a house in West Philadelphia. The two officers were dispatched and arrived at the location a little more than 30 minutes later. When the officers stepped onto the porch, they took “significant fire,” Mr. Bethel said.

As the two were taken to the hospital, police officers and members of the SWAT team were sent to the scene. The suspect, who has not been named, continued to fire at police but was eventually captured after he climbed up a tree. Police recovered a shotgun and two handguns, one of which the man had taken from one of the officers who had been shot on the porch.

With strong signs of emotion in his demeanor, Bethel praised those he leads in the Philly department:

“I am so damn proud of the men and women who serve in this department. Consistently, they go into danger, and they give their lives for this job.”

The New York Times also reported, in the piece linked above, more details about the two officers

The officer who was killed, Shane Seiber, 40, leaves a 7-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter, Kevin J. Bethel, the Philadelphia police commissioner, told reporters in a briefing. He was on the force for 10 years.

“He fought valiantly, but he lost his life today,” Mr. Bethel said. “His wife was able to be at his side before he passed, as well as his family.”

The other officer, who has not been named, was shot 12 times. He is in stable condition at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Mr. Bethel said. He is 33 years old and a father of five.

As the reporting noted, the man in custody has not yet been identified by authorities.

This is a developing story. RedState will provide more information as it becomes available.

News Topics CRIME | LAW AND ORDER | PENNSYLVANIA Join the Conversation VIP members get the ability to comment on articles.