1 Police Officer Dead, 1 Wounded in Shooting at Philadelphia International Airport: ‘Heartbroken’
The officers were shot by suspects breaking into a vehicle in the parking garage, according to police
Kyle Mazza/TheNEWS2 via ZUMA Press Wire
Two Philadelphia Police officers were shot at in the terminal D parking garage of Philadelphia International Airport after they attempted to stop a break-in on October 12, 2023.One officer was killed and another was wounded during a shooting at the Philadelphia International Airport on Thursday evening, according to police.
Interim Commissioner John Stanford told NBC 10 and Fox 29 during a news conference that the two off-duty airport officers were arriving to work in the parking garage just after 11:00 p.m.
Kyle Mazza/TheNEWS2 via ZUMA Press Wire
He then explained that “they exited their vehicles” and “observed a few individuals breaking into another vehicle within the parking garage area.”
“The officers approached to essentially disrupt and investigate what’s going on,” Stanford continued. “At that point, the suspects opened fire on the officers, striking one of our officers multiple times in the upper torso, striking the other officer in the arm.”
One of the officers was taken to the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center at 11:34 p.m., where he was pronounced dead. He was 50. The other officer, 60, was first taken to the Methodist Hospital before being transported to Jefferson Hospital. He was listed in stable condition, it was confirmed during the news conference.
The unidentified officer who died was with the police department for 22 years and also married with a child, Stanford shared. He added: “As you can imagine, they are heartbroken and devastated that their family member is not coming home tonight.”
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“A numb moment for us to encounter something like this,” he said during the news conference. “You can imagine what we feel, you can imagine what this department is going through.”
The interim commissioner described one possible suspect as being “transported by a private vehicle,” but couldn’t confirm whether that individual was involved.
Related: Officer Fatally Shoots Man in Fencing Mask Who Allegedly 'Confronted' Officers with Swords
The shooting prompted the closure of the airport’s Terminal D, along with the parking garage for Terminals D and E, shortly after 11 p.m., Heather Redfern, the city’s Department of Aviation spokeswoman, confirmed to PEOPLE. Additionally, five planes kept passengers onboard for about 30 minutes.
Redfern also confirmed that access to the garage was fully restored at about 7 a.m. Friday morning.
“Anger, devastation and heartbreak are the emotions,” Sanford wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “One officer gave his life tonight and one is recovering. Please wrap your arms and prayers around their families and our department. We will continue our search for those responsible and won't stop until all are in custody.”
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