Oct. 13 (UPI) — A Philadelphia police officer was killed and a second remained in stable condition after a shooting inside a parking garage at the Philadelphia International Airport late Thursday night, officials said.
Both officers, both assigned to the airport’s security detail, had just arrived at work at about 11 p.m. EDT, and confronted a group they witnessed breaking into cars when at least two members of the group opened fire on them.
“This is a numb, numb moment for us to again encounter something like this,” said Philadelphia Interim Commissioner John Stanford, who did not identify either officer involved. “We just had three officers shot last week.”
One 50-year-old officer was struck multiple times in the upper body and transported to Penn Presbyterian Hospital before being pronounced dead. The second officer, 60, was hit in the arm and taken to Methodist Hospital for treatment before transferring later to Jefferson Hospital.
One individual who matched the description of one suspect arrived at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia by private ambulance and was later pronounced dead. Stanford said, though, it was not confirmed that the person, believed to be a teenager, was involved in the airport shooting.
“We don’t know. It’s a good possibility,” Stanford said. “Very similar to the suspect description but that’s something we can’t confirm at this point. We’re still investigating.”
Authorities described the suspect vehicle as a Black Dodge Durango. Other suspects in the shooting remained at large Friday morning, police said.
“You can imagine what we feel,” Stanford said. “You can imagine what this department is going through and quite frankly how the city should be feeling to know that this has happened to two of the men that have served for 20-plus years and ultimately one giving his life tonight for the city of Philadelphia.”