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Update on officer-involved shooting outside of St. Christopher’s Hospital: FULL PRESSER
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel provided updates regarding a police-involved shooting that happened Thursday, July 2, at a bus stop on Erie Avenue in front of St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. Bethel also addressed community concerns about safety at the hospital.
PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Police say a man was shot and killed by an officer outside St. Christopher's Hospital for Children on Thursday, July 2, after officers responded to a call about a person with a weapon who was reportedly experiencing a mental health crisis.
What we know:
Officers responded to the area around 10:21 a.m. after a family member called 9-1-1, concerned the man was suicidal and having a mental health crisis, according to police.
Police say hospital security had asked the man to leave the property the day before and directed him away from the hospital again that morning. He complied and left without incident.
Police say Officer Azieme Lindsey and another officer found the man and a 29-year-old woman at a nearby bus stop.
As Officer Lindsey approached, police say the man began moving backward and pulled a handgun from his waistband.
Then, Officer Lindsey fired his department-issued weapon, striking the man multiple times. The man was taken to Temple University Hospital and pronounced dead at 10:44 a.m., police say.
The woman with the man was grazed by a bullet and treated at the hospital.
Police say a Smith & Wesson M&P pistol, legally registered to the man, was recovered at the scene.
Both officers were wearing activated body cameras during the shooting, according to police.
The officer-involved shooting is being investigated by multiple agencies, including the Officer-Involved Shooting Investigations Unit, Internal Affairs, and the District Attorney's Office. Officer Lindsey has been placed on administrative duty pending the investigation, police say.
What we don't know:
Police have not released body camera footage or further details about the moments leading up to the shooting. The status of the investigation and any potential charges or policy changes remain unclear.
The Source: Information from the Philadelphia Police Department.