Philadelphia shooting: Suspected gunman dead after shooting 2 women, SEPTA officer in Frankford

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — A gunman accused of shooting two women and a SEPTA police officer on Wednesday night was found dead after a barricade situation in Philadelphia’s Frankford neighborhood.

The incident started around 7 p.m. when officers responded to a double shooting near Eric and Leiper streets.

Police say a male suspect led officers on a chase to the 4700 block of Leiper Street where he started shooting at police.

Authorities say at some point during the chase a Philadelphia police officer became pinned against a wall.

That’s when a 28-year-old male SEPTA Transit police officer took action to save the officer’s life.

“He drew his assault weapon and charged forward, yelling to the officer ‘to go’ and he was covering that officer as he got shot,” said SEPTA Transit Police Chief Thomas Nestel.

The SEPTA officer was shot at least one time in the abdomen. He was rushed to Temple University Hospital and placed in critical but stable condition.

Chopper 6 was overhead as officers shut down the Frankford neighborhood as the barricaded gunman fired his weapon from the second and third floor.

Several officers did exchange gunfire with the suspect, but no officers were injured.

The gunman was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound around 8 p.m., police said Wednesday night.

Two female residents were also shot at some point during the incident. Both residents are listed as stable at Temple University Hospital.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with this brave SEPTA police officer who sustained this injury. Here we are again on another night in our city and just this completely and totally unacceptable and reckless gun violence nearly took three innocent people’s lives, and we’re so grateful that it wasn’t worse than it was,” said Sgt. Eric Gripp with the Philadelphia Police Department.

The SEPTA officer is a three-year veteran of the force. Nestel commended his heroic actions.

“There’s so many fantastic police officers out there. It doesn’t matter the patch they wear and the badge that’s on their chest. Police officers do this stuff when their brothers and sisters are in danger. It’s what all of us as police leaders almost learn to expect, but the heroism and courage and valor that these folks exhibit every day is humbling,” said Nestel.