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Officer Scratchard went to a home on the 1900 block of South Bancroft Street to serve a warrant on aggravated assault and firearms violations Tuesday around 6:25 p.m., Philadelphia police said.
As Officer Scratchard and SWAT officers announced their arrival, Vicenzo Rudi was waiting in a doorway inside the garage, armed with a gun, police said.
Scratchard urged Rudi to put his gun down, but Rudi ended up firing multiple shots in the officer's direction, police said. In response, Officer Scratchard shot Rudi, according to police. Scratchard was unharmed, police said.
Rudi was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:38 p.m., authorities said. Rudi’s gun was recovered from the scene.
Officer Scatchard has been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the internal affairs investigation into the shooting, police said. He is a 14-year Veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department and assigned to SWAT.
“Involvement in, and witnessing such critical incidents such as this is traumatic for all involved,” said Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw.
“The decision to use deadly force carries a heavyweight, and my thoughts are with this police officer and all others that were affected by this incident. As with all officer-involved shootings, this officer has been placed on administrative duty while our Officer-Involved Shooting Investigations Unit and Internal Affairs Division conduct a thorough investigation.”
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