Man accused of shooting 6 Philadelphia police officers charged with attempted murder
Maurice Hill, 36, is accused of shooting six Philadelphia police officers on Wednesday.
PHILADELPHIA - A man suspected of shooting six police officers during an hourslong standoff that ended when tear gas caused the man to surrender was charged with attempted murder.
Authorities have said that the criminal background of suspect Maurice Hill should have prevented him from legally owning the firepower used during the standoff that lasted deep into the night.
Court documents indicate that Maurice Hill, 36, faces multiple counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault, assault on a law enforcement officer, and reckless endangering. He was denied bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 5.
Hill had at least a semi-automatic rifle and a handgun when he opened fire Wednesday afternoon on officers serving a drug warrant, authorities said.
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The shooting began around 4:30 p.m. on the 4700 block of North 15th Street. Officers went to serve a narcotics warrant in an operation "that went awry almost immediately," said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross.
Many officers "had to escape through windows and doors to get (away) from a barrage of bullets," Ross said.
Shots were still being fired three hours later, police said, and officers returned fire.
Around 9:30 p.m., police said, a SWAT team freed the two officers who had been trapped inside, along with three people that officers took into custody before the shooting as part of the drug warrant. But Hill remained barricaded.
Hill's lawyer, Shaka Johnson, said Hill called him during the standoff asking for help surrendering. Johnson then called Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, and they patched in both Hill and the police commissioner, according to Krasner.
Maurice Hill, 36, surrendered to police after an hours-long standoff in Tioga.
Hill told Johnson he wanted to make it out alive to see his newborn daughter and teenage son again.
Hill came out of the home in the wee hours of Thursday after police used tear gas. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation and then placed in custody.
Hill, who police say had at least a semi-automatic rifle and handgun when he opened fire on officers, has on his record multiple arrests in Philadelphia and Delaware County between 2001 and 2012.
Hill's criminal record includes multiple arrests in Philadelphia and adjacent Delaware County between 2001 and 2012, according to online records. His convictions include assault, perjury, fleeing and eluding, escape and weapons offenses.
He served two stints in state prisons -- three, counting a return for a probation violation. He was sentenced to 55 months in federal prison term over a pair of convictions for being a felon in possession of firearms.
From left to right (top): Officer Michael Guinter, Officer Nathaniel Harper, Officer Ryan Waltman From left to right (bottom): Officer Justin Matthews, Officer Shaun Parker, Officer Joshua Burkitt
Commissioner Ross has expressed amazement that the standoff ended with no one dead and no life-threatening injuries, despite the gunman firing over 100 rounds.
The six officers who were struck by gunfire were released after being treated at hospitals Wednesday night.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.