PHILADELPHIA — Two officers were shot as spectators gathered for an Independence Day fireworks display in Philadelphia on Monday night.
One officer sustained a gunshot wound to the shoulder around 9:47 p.m., while a bullet grazed another’s head. An officer near the scene confirmed to the Washington Examiner that shots were fired.
The officers were taken to and subsequently released from the hospital. “The good news is that both officers have since been treated and released, and what really could have been a chaotic scene or a catastrophic scene wasn’t today,” Philadelphia Police Department Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said around midnight.
It’s unclear what precipitated the shooting, although police are investigating whether the officers were hit by “celebratory” gunfire. Philadelphia’s police union is offering $20,000 for a tip that leads to the arrest of the culprit, according to NBC10.
The officer shot in the shoulder is a Montgomery County sheriff’s deputy, and the other works for the Philadelphia Highway Patrol; both were enlisted for the event’s security detail.
HIGHLAND PARK SHOOTING PERSON OF INTEREST POSTED VIDEOS APPEARING TO PREVIEW ATTACK
Shortly after a fireworks display began by the city’s Art Museum, police cars and motorcycles could be seen racing toward the area as attendees fled. A helicopter cast floodlights overhead as fireworks exploded in the distance.
A fireworks show in Philadelphia turned chaotic Monday night after two officers were shot. Police cars and motorcycles could be seen racing toward the scene as attendees fled. A helicopter cast floodlights overhead as fireworks exploded in the distance. pic.twitter.com/YQFPi0tyYR
— David Sivak (@DISivak) July 5, 2022
The incident occurred the same day six people were killed and dozens wounded in a shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The heavy presence of police could be felt at the Philadelphia fireworks display even before chaos broke out, with officers stationed on sidewalks blocks away from the museum mall. The fireworks capped off a concert held on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway that evening.
Attendees fleeing the event described a frantic and confusing scene. One attendee told the Washington Examiner that police instructed spectators to evacuate. Another described hearing someone yell about a shooter.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said at a press conference following the shooting that he’s “concerned every single day” about gun violence in the city.
“There’s not an event or a day where I don’t lay on my back at night, look at the ceiling, and worry about stuff,” he said. “So, everything we have had in the city over the last seven years, I worry about. I don’t enjoy the Fourth of July. I didn’t enjoy the Democratic National Convention. I didn’t enjoy the NFL Draft.”
“I’m waiting for something bad to happen all the time. I’ll be happy when I’m not mayor and I can enjoy some stuff,” he added.
