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Officers were called to investigate a group of men "milling about" a vehicle in a field on the 2300 block of Fawn Street at about 2:20 p.m. on May 4, Sgt. Eric Gripp told reporters from multiple outlets.
When two officers approached the men, "at least two to three individuals ran off," Gripp said. As the police got closer, another person came from inside or behind the vehicle and fled as well, the sergeant claimed.
A foot chase ensued down the 2200 block of Camac Street, through a field, and then into the rear of a property on the 1200 block of Dauphin Street. In an alley on that property, Philadelphia police claim that the man being chased pointed a handgun at one of the officers.
"Our officer fired at least one time," Gripp said.
The second officer, who was "a few yards behind" during the chase, heard the shots and rushed to the alley, police said.
"When officer two arrived on this location, he saw his partner, officer one, engaged in a physical altercation with this male, who still had the handgun in his hand," Gripp told reporters.
"At some point during that physical altercation, the male fired at least one shot from his gun," the sergeant continued.
That's when officer two "discharged several rounds towards that male," striking him "several times throughout his body," Gripp said. The man was pronounced dead at Temple Hospital at 3:06 p.m., he added.
Gripp said officer one fired the first shot "in response to a handgun being pointed at him." Neither officer was injured, and both were wearing activated body cameras during the incident, he told reporters.
As a matter of policy, both officers will be placed on administrative duty pending the results of an Internal Affairs investigation, he added.
Police did not identify the man killed, but wrote in a separate release obtained Thursday evening that he was a 32-year-old black man.
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