PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Philadelphia police say a man was shot and killed by law enforcement on Friday morning after allegedly firing a gun at officers near 21st Street and the Ben Franklin Parkway in Center City.
According to police, officers responded to reports of a man with a gun in the area shortly after 11 a.m.
Authorities said the calls included information that the man had fired the weapon before police arrived, although Commissioner Kevin Bethel said investigators had not yet reached that conclusion.
Chopper 6 was over police activity on Ben Franklin Parkway
Police said officers attempted to engage the man using a bullhorn but were unsuccessful.
Authorities said the man then fired a shot at officers. Police said a SEPTA police officer and a Philadelphia police officer each fired one shot in response, striking the man twice.
Philadelphia police news conference on fatal shooting along Ben Franklin Parkway
The man was transported to Jefferson Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 11:36 a.m., police said.
Investigators said the weapon believed to have been used by the man was a revolver found near park benches at the scene.
The shooting occurred in a busy section of the Parkway near several museums. Police said there were initial plans to begin shutting down nearby museums, but the shooting happened before those measures could be put in place.
Authorities have not publicly identified the man. Investigators said he was not speaking to officers during the encounter.
Police are still working to learn more about the man and what led to this fatal encounter with police.
“We will investigate whether this was a situation of suicide by cop,” Bethel said.
All of this unfolded in front of bystanders all around this busy area of the city.
“We come up and we see a bunch of cops and next we know we hear boom boom two shots,” said Anthony Ciamaichelo of Northeast Philadelphia.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.