A police officer fatally shot a 75-year-old man during an armed confrontation Tuesday morning in West Philadelphia, law enforcement officials said.
The killing happened just after 7 a.m. on the 5400 block of Webster Street, according to authorities. Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore told reporters that two officers assigned to the 18th Police District were responding to a report of a person with a weapon.
When they arrived, one of the officers got out of the patrol vehicle and approached a man who was on the porch of a home on the block, he added. A confrontation ensued, and there were two shots fired – one from the officer and another from the elderly man, according to Vanore. He told reporters at the scene that the PPD was not yet sure who fired first.
The man was shot, and the officer’s partner rushed him to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he died a short time later, Vanore said. Authorities have not publicly identified him.
No other injuries were reported, officials said. Detectives recovered the man’s firearm, and the officer activated her body-worn camera during the incident, according to Vanore. The shooting remains under investigation.
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