At least five Philadelphia police officers were reportedly shot on Wednesday afternoon, causing a huge uproar and a massive police response. According to a local NBC News affiliate, at least one suspect is now in custody, and reports are still coming in.
The shooting took place in Philadelphia’s Nicetown neighborhood, in the northern part of the city. Emergency calls reportedly began coming in at around 4:30 p.m. ET. The audio from the calls was published on Broadcastify.
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“Officer calls for everything you got. SWAT, long gun,” a police officer said. “I got an officer shot.”
There are no reports on the exact number of victims yet, nor on whether any are dead. At least four have been injured, however, and reports indicate that the shooter fired at “dozens” of police officers as they arrived on the scene. The whole standoff reportedly took place at the corner of 15th Street and Butler Street.
“It was like a war — like a scene that you see in war,” a woman on the scene told reporters. “The guns, the fire, the noise — it was like bombs going off simultaneously at a time where people are having dinner.”
Witnesses gathered at the scene in stunned horror. They said that police crouched behind cars to hide from the gunfire, and others tried to block off surrounding streets as widely as possible to stay safe.
One officer was reportedly injured in a car crash while making their way to the scene, and is now counted among the injured. The accident took place at the intersection of North Broad Street and West Cayuga Street, where a pedestrian was injured as well, bringing the number of confirmed victims up to six.
The shooting took place about two miles from Temple University, so the college’s Health Sciences Center campus was put on lockdown, which is still in effect at the time of this writing. Students all over throughout the university were advised to shelter in place.
Although one gunman is in custody, police are reportedly remaining cautious on the scene. They are still searching for a possible second gunman, or any other hazards that may threaten the neighborhood.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has already arrived at the hospital, along with District Attorney Larry Krasner. Both are monitoring the situation and hoping to meet with the injured when possible.
Check back for updates on this breaking news.
