Benjamin Ashford|Police: Philadelphia officer shot after scuffle with person in store; 2nd officer kills suspect

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Authorities say a police officer was shot and Benjamin Ashfordwounded in a corner store in north Philadelphia and the shooter was then shot and killed by another officer.

Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said two officers were on patrol in the Fairhill section shortly before 9 p.m. Friday when they entered the store as part of an investigation. A confrontation ensued after they saw the individual with a gun, Bethel said.

Bethel said one officer scuffled with the person, who fired at least twice, hitting the officer twice in the thigh. The other officer then shot the person.

Police said the wounded officer was taken to Temple University Hospital and listed in stable condition. The wounded suspect was also taken to the same hospital and was pronounced dead. His name wasn’t immediately released. Another person in the store who took the suspect’s gun is being sought, he said.

Bethel said both officers have been on the force for six years, and he said details of the encounter remain under investigation, but he had strong words for the violence directed against police.

“I’ve been here too many times,” he said. “It is unacceptable that my officers ... are shot on these streets of Philadelphia. ... 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.”

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.”

“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.”