PHILADELPHIA, PA – A Philadelphia police officer was shot in the neck while he was conducting a traffic stop on Saturday night, as stated by city officials. The incident happened around 8 p.m. in Kensington, a neighborhood in the city.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel briefed the press, stating that during a routine vehicle inspection, the officer and his partner detected a gun holster in the car they had pulled over, which prompted one of the four occupants to escape.
As the individual fled, he fired three shots at the police officers, hitting one cop in the neck, according to Bethel. The wounded officer’s partner returned fire but without success and immediately rushed his partner to Temple University Hospital for emergency treatment. The stricken officer is undergoing surgery and remains in critical condition.
Authorities later arrested the suspect connected with the shooting. The remaining occupants of the pulled-over vehicle were also taken into police custody.
The injured officer has been serving in the force for six years. Mayor Cherelle Parker highlighted the dangerous nature of the job, noting that the officer didn’t expect to be fighting for his life when he left his home that morning.
The shooting incident occurred about three miles from the location of a campaign rally led by former President Donald Trump.