PHILADELPHIA — Christmas morning got off to a grim start in Philadelphia when a street fight escalated to one man firing a gun into a crowd, striking two teenagers in the neck before officers fatally shot him, according to police.
A 15-year-old male whose identity was not released was pronounced dead at Temple University Hospital, where a 17-year-old remained Friday in stable condition, police said.
The alleged gunman, 43, was shot in the torso and pronounced dead at Temple, police said. Police did not disclose how many times he was hit, just that two officers fired at him around 12:30 a.m. in the city’s Kensington section.
The officers had responded to a call about a disturbance or fight at that location. They were attempting to diffuse the situation, police said, when additional family members of the feuding people came out of their houses and gathered on the sidewalk and in the middle of the street. Pushing and punching ensued between the original combatants, police said, when a man pulled a gun from his right rear waistband and fired it, hitting both teenagers.
That’s when both officers drew their weapons and fired at the gunman, according to police. In his hand, one of the officers found a 9mm Smith & Wesson reported stolen from Virginia, according to police.
No officers were injured. The investigation continues.
