Philadelphia Police Searching For Gunman After 2 Officers Shot During Fireworks Show Transcript

Speaker 1: (00:04)
Oh my God. Oh my God.

Janelle Burrell: (00:07)
Breaking overnight, panic on the Parkway as two police officers are shot during the big firework show. Philadelphia Police Commissioner, Danielle Outlaw vowing to get justice for those officers.

Danielle Outlaw: (00:20)
All of these officers that you see standing around us, we’re on it and we’re not going to rest until we get someone in custody for this.

We have live team coverage with the latest on the investigation, and also an update on those officers’ conditions.

Mayor Jim Kenney: (00:33)
There’s not an event or a day where I don’t lay on my back at night and look at the ceiling and want to worry about stuff.

Plus, the mayor’s frustration after the gunfire during what was supposed to be a joyful day of celebration. We’ll have more on the mayor’s blunt message. Good morning to you at 6:00 on this Tuesday, July 5th, I’m Janelle Burrell. Jim is off this morning. Those two police officers out of the hospital after that shooting near the 4th of July firework show on the Ben Franklin Parkway last night. This is video. Take a look at this. This is from the ground and you see people running for their lives along the Parkway as those fireworks were still going off.

Police ordering local residents to shelter in place, and we have live team coverage for you this morning from the Ben Franklin Parkway. Wakisha Bailey has reaction from eyewitnesses who share what they saw firsthand, but we begin with Eyewitness News reporter Ross DiMattei who has the latest on the investigation and how those police officers are doing this morning. It was terrifying, Ross, and officials say this could have potentially been even worse.

Ross DiMattei: (01:36)
That is absolutely right, Janelle. Police say that the big 4th of July firework show had just gotten going when somebody started shooting here on the Parkway. And police say that the sound of the explosions made it harder to hear where those shots were coming from and even harder to find out who was firing them. That firework show was slated to start around 9:45 last night and police say the shooting started moments later. They say two officers were hit, a 44-year-old member of the Montgomery County Bomb Squad was shot in the right shoulder and a 36-year-old highway patrol officer suffered a graze wound to his head.

Both of those officers were taken to Jefferson Hospital in stable condition and they have since been released. We’re told to doing pretty well, all things considered. Right now, police do not have any suspects in custody. The president of the police union says that officers are doing everything they can to combat the city’s gun violence, but right now they are understaffed and overwhelmed.

John McNesby: (02:25)
This is common theme. And when it hits our guys, it’s terrible. I mean, guys, our cops are out there long hours. We’re undermanned. We’re five, 600 down and you got a major event like this today where people should be coming together to have a good time and they’re acting like (beep) out there.

And take a look at this video of a procession for one of those injured officers. It’s a little tough to see, but that officer appears to be bandaged up around the head while waving from an SUV. And that same injured officer may have his hat to thank for saving his life. That’s what you’re looking at in this video. Officers believe the bullet, which is also in this video, grazed his forehead and was actually stopped by his hat before it could cause him more harm. And inside of that hat, the officer carries a prayer card of the chaplain of the force, Father Steve Wetzel, who recently passed away.

The president of the police union saying that officer clearly had an angel on his shoulder last night. Now, according to police sources, the shooter or shooters was not firing from an elevated platform or any kind of building around here. Those same sources tell us that they believe this shooting may have stemmed from police pulling over a driver earlier on in the night. They’re asking anyone who was here last night who may have information about this shooting or video showing what may have happened last night to come forward and share it with police.

We’re live along the Parkway this morning, Ross DiMattei CBS 3 Eyewitness News.

Just frightening for those people in the crowd there. Ross, thank you for that breaking update. And there was-

Philadelphia Police Searching For Gunman After 2 Officers Shot During Fireworks Show Transcript

Other Related Transcripts

Stay updated.