Inside the Philly cop shootings

Early Wednesday afternoon, Delia Donze and her boyfriend, Corey Wadkins, walked their dog down the 3700 block of North 15th Street, a one-lane, tree-lined section of North Philadelphia’s Tioga-Nicetown neighborhood.

The block was quieter than theirs one street over on Carlisle, Donze thought, absent the occasional sound of gunfire they were accustomed to. It was prettier, too. 

Maybe they should move here, she remembered thinking.

Hours later, the sound of sirens brought her outside to see that same block — and dozens surrounding it — become a “parking lot” of police cars, as hundreds of Philly cops descended on what officials called the largest police shooting the city had ever seen. 

Six officers were shot during a seven-hour standoff that lasted well into the night. All survived, including the gunman, who ultimately surrendered. 

Still, how this North Philadelphia neighborhood ended up in the national spotlight and what drove a man to stave off police for hours — even when he had officers trapped inside — are questions still captivating the City of Brotherly Love.

“Shootings happen all the time here,” she said. “But to think six police officers were shot behind my house? That’s what freaks me out.”

“For all that stuff he caused yesterday, what was it for?”

Gunfire started at 4:32 p.m., according to residents — about two minutes after narcotics officers arrived at the two-story rowhome to issue a drug-related search warrant.

Bullets marked the white exterior of the first floor and left a large window to the left of the front door mangled. Windows built into the brick of the second floor were also shattered by gunfire. The house is in the middle of the block on the west side of the street.

Almost immediately, at least one officer was wounded when the two-hour police scanner broadcast obtained by The News Journal begins.   

Philadelphia police shooting: Radio traffic gives inside picture of standoff scene

"And they're still being shot at," a dispatcher is heard saying, before informing officers reinforcements are on their way. "Units coming to your location."

"Thank you," a man short of breath responded before announcing that one of the wounded officers was being taken to Temple University Hospital. "Transit police has the shot officer."

But the gunfire was far from over. 

As dozens of police cars, sirens wailing, sped toward the scene, police officers retreated behind their cars in groups of two or three. Left behind were rows of at least 50 police vehicles in the middle of Broad Street. 

It was as though traffic had paused altogether — only the traffic lights changed.

Inside the house, officers helping to execute the search warrant were pinned down upstairs. Maurice Hill, the suspected gunman, was inside, still shooting.

IN COURT:Philly standoff suspect Maurice Hill charged with attempted murder

"Male is inside the kitchen, shooting upwards and forwards to the opposition of the police," the officer trapped inside calmly relayed to dispatch. 

As the gunshots continued, police struggled to get a handle on what to do next and where to send officers.

"Multiple units on location," a man said. "Still shots fired — inside and rear. I want no further plainclothes officers responding to this location. Uniform only!"

The terrifying reality that police might shoot each other began to emerge.

"Be careful of crossfire. Please," an officer pleaded. 

As it became clear gunfire wasn’t ending anytime soon, police called for members of the SWAT team to attempt entry to the house. Radio calls between officers went back and forth, with SWAT officers trying to figure out where the trapped officers were inside and how best they could reach them.

Armed with heavy ammunition, SWAT gear and “long guns” on the block, the team was ready to breach the home. Less than a half hour from when the standoff began, about 10 officers were set to break down the front door.

"Can we make entry to you and secure you safely?" a SWAT member asked. 

The short answer: No. The team would run directly into the shooter if they came in through the front door, according to one of the trapped officers.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross later described it as one of the bravest moments of the entire standoff.

“The officers were astute enough and wise enough and brave enough to say do not come in here,” the chief said. “Think about what it takes to do that, to know that you’re trapped in the building yourself. Your natural inclination is to say help, come get me. But they did the opposite.”

Officers inside the home weren’t the only ones trapped.

Residents were told to stay in their homes and out of sight, despite having national news unfolding outside their doors.

Inside a daycare a few houses down well within the line of fire, children were also trapped. Police and the employees inside feared that ricocheting bullets may break through the windows.

Mayor Jim Kenney listened in on the police dispatches from City Hall, especially as plans were made to move each child to safety.  Media helicopters nearby later gave him a clearer picture of what that looked like on the ground.

“Watching those officers carry those children and walk those children to safety gave me faith in this department and in this city and who we are as a city,” the mayor said, his voice growing thick at a press conference Thursday. 

But the standoff with Maurice Hill, a convicted felon with a lengthy criminal record, was far from over.

DA: Suspect who shot 6 officers shouldn't have been on the streets

Back on the block, empty police cars prevented the SWAT team from rolling the armored vehicle into place in front of the home.

"Where are they coming [from] and I'll get them moved," an agitated sounding officer asked.

"Nowhere," the SWAT member said. "You're going to be exposed to fire if you move these cars."

Officers wielding their handguns in front of the home was prompting more gunfire. Minutes after the call to only have long guns exposed, another officer was shot.

Less than a half-hour later, at 5:30 p.m., another report of shots fired broke through the silence.

"He's firing out the back, first floor," reported one officer frantically. 

Others yelled for a car blocking Sydenham Street to be moved. It was urgent: "We got another officer shot." 

The injured officer appeared to have been walking alone in the alleyway when he was shot, police said on the radio. He was taken to Temple Hospital.

"He was walking and talking, he was in good condition, I saw him," one officer said. "We think he may have been grazed."

Officers who had been firing were told to stand down. Gunshots into the home could end up injuring the officers inside, as well as the people handcuffed with the officers.

In total, six officers were injured: Nathaniel Harper, a member of Strike Force who was shot in the left leg; Ryan Waltman, an officer with the 39th District who was shot in the left hand; Justin Matthews, a member of the 16th District who was shot in the left leg; Michael Guinter, a member of Strike Force who was shot in the upper arm; Shaun Parker, a member of Strike Force who had a graze wound to the head; and Joshua Burkitt, an officer with the 24th District who was shot in the left hand.

An additional officer was also injured in a crash associated with this incident.

Shortly after 6:10 p.m., officers got word someone appeared to be live-streaming the situation on Facebook. At the Real-Time Crime Center, police were “putting together a package” of information on the suspect. On the scene, medics were being moved farther down the block, police reported, to stay out of the line of fire.

“Does anybody know where this guy is in the house that’s live-streaming Facebook?” one officer asked.

“When they get the chance, I need to talk to one of them who has her,” another said a few minutes later, referring to the suspect’s girlfriend. “If he’s live-streaming, I want to see what he can see.”

By about 6:30 p.m., the situation seemed to have deescalated, with many heavily armed police officers becoming onlookers themselves. The only thing left to determine was how it would end.

As residents waited and anticipated what would unfold, the chatter was quiet. The rugged neighborhood, which features a pizza shop, Chinese take-out and a deli among other businesses sandwiched between blocks of row homes, was devoid of its typical evening hustle.

Pockets of people gathered on all corners, trying to comprehend what had happened where they live. Others couldn’t get home, with the bus routes detoured and the SEPTA line skipping stops near the shooting along Broad Street.

“It’s a busy area for working people but it’s normally like the day-to-day working joe. Eating, being social and stuff like that,” said Rysheana Hightower. “This is a bunch of nonsense.”

For Hightower, Wednesday’s situation was a terrible reminder. Her brother, Rasheed, was shot and killed in the area 14 years ago, she said.

“The sickness of some of the individuals in the world we live in,” Hightower said. “The world is a sad place.”

Though violence isn’t uncommon in this section of Philadelphia, community members pointed to the disinvestment in the neighborhood and increased drug sales as a driving force behind the decline. 

Eric Banks, who couldn’t get to his home on the opposite side of Broad Street on his usual bus route, pointed at the fading sign for Black and Nobel, a bookstore that he said served as “common ground” for all walks of life.

The sign proudly boasts “We ship to prisons” — a testament to its purpose of educating and informing residents on issues that span well beyond the blocks of North Philadelphia, Banks said. But it moved last year to South Street.

“It’s hard to attract a certain clientele when there are drug dealers on the corner and the strong smell of marijuana,” Banks said. 

For many who arrived at the scene, the conversations turned almost immediately to what needs to be done.

Sophie Nicholas, a Temple student who lives near the scene, said she was visiting Aurora, Colorado, on the same day in 2012 that a gunman opened fire in a movie theater, killing 12 people and injuring 70 others.

“We almost bought tickets to that movie,” she said. “Why is this still happening? That was so many years ago.”

Next to her stood Avery Stoker, who was listening to a police scanner app on his phone. He said when he first moved in near the scene there was a robbery on his block, but that an incident of this scale and with police as the only targets was something he would have never fathomed.

“We just need gun control,” Stoker said. “I think we probably should have realized that a long time ago.”

Even as the Philly standoff continued, Mayor Kenney called for more attention on gun violence, both in Philadelphia and in cities throughout America. His cries would continue Thursday as he rallied state leaders to do more.

“Step up — or step aside,” he said.

Unrest among those looking on settled in around 8 p.m. Between Pacific Avenue and Venango Street on a tight one-way stretch of N. 15th St. onlookers ducked their heads out of windows and gathered on porches for the best view of the action.

Ahead, police implored the suspect to surrender. A large black armored SWAT truck finally parked in front of the house as police began to talk to Hill through a bullhorn.

Soon, police crossed the line to break up a skirmish among residents. A back-and-forth ensued between the crowd and officers who ran down the street from the gunman’s house. 

Two men approached the line shouting at the officers. Other residents shouted at the officers and threw items in their direction. Officers responded by spraying mace into the crowd and pulling out riot sticks.

Adrianna Lochetto was one of the people maced after the officer’s spray largely missed the men inciting police. She grew more frustrated as the night continued.

“It’s bothering me because there’s kids here,” she said.

Later in the evening, a group of children near Lochetto sang the “Baby Shark” song as they bobbed making the shark jaw motion. They had been outside the scene for hours with little new information.

Again, gunshots rang out around 8:25 p.m.

Only the rain, which started an hour later, dispersed the crowd but the night was far from over.

The two trapped officers spent roughly five hours inside the home before they were evacuated around 9:30 p.m. Ross described the SWAT team’s work to get them out as “absolutely remarkable.” 

The three prisoners trapped and handcuffed upstairs were also safely evacuated.

People on the street began calling for police to storm in after only Hill was left inside but negotiations continued slowly. “Preservation of life” had been the goal of the entire night, unlike the May 13, 1985, bombing of the black liberation group Move. 

In that incident, 11 people were killed — including five children and the organization’s founder — when the Philadelphia Police dropped a bomb on a West Philly rowhome. Sixty-one homes were destroyed and more than 250 people were left without a place to stay. 

Despite the effort to preserve life on Wednesday, Commissioner Ross wondered whether they would be able to get Hill, who was heavily armed, out alive.

Around 9:30 p.m. Hill’s attorney Shaka Johnson called DA Larry Krasner. Hill had called his attorney from inside the house. Now, Johnson had to help bring this to a safe end.

Johnson patched in Hill so the three of them could discuss a peaceful resolution to the standoff. Commissioner Ross joined soon after in an “unorthodox” four-way phone call. 

Mid-conversation, news came that all six police officers were released from the hospital. The update was a relief, but didn’t solve the resistance from Hill, who Krasner described as excited, animated and “frankly dangerous.”

Police said repeatedly throughout the night and the day after that they made assurances to Hill the situation could end “without any further violence,” an expectation that few in the community had for the man who had shot six cops.

In an interview with FOX29, Johnson said he told Hill that the “world is watching, and that may be one thing giving the police some pause” in reference to how police would react if Hill surrendered.

But Hill told Ross over the phone that he had no plans of returning to prison, alluding to his previous time served. Ross said Hill also talked about his newborn daughter. 

“I did not think it would end nearly the way it did,” Ross said, describing those hours of the standoff as “absolutely unnerving.” 

It was a scene he had never experienced in his 30 years of police work — but one that Philly’s mayor would later call some of the finest work of the department’s history.

As negotiations progressed, police used a bearcat — an armored forklift vehicle — to move cars from the area, many of which were shot at earlier in the day. Police also moved a wagon in position behind the armored SWAT truck as midnight approached.

At 12:02 a.m. about 15 popping sounds were heard from the edge of the scene and smoke began to billow near the house as police launched tear gas in Hill’s direction.

“Police — put your hands on your head and come out front,” a police officer said repeatedly over a bullhorn.

The commands “keep your hands up, keep your hands up” and “go on the ground, go on the ground” followed.

Hill walked from the house while on the phone with Johnson. A grainy photo captured from the scene shows Hill practically blinded by the police spotlights illuminating his outstretched arms.

Nearly eight hours after the first reports of shots fired, Hill had surrendered without incident. 

Ultimately no amount of conversation could drive Hill from the home, Ross said. The tear gas was what pushed him out.

As the wagon with Hill inside turned left from 15th Street to Erie Avenue, it stopped.

Police opened the back of the wagon. At least three dozen officers, many of whom spent hours standing idly by on the perimeter of the scene, huddled around the open door.

For about five minutes, they stood there together before closing the door on Hill.

With a quiet exit, the wagon turned onto Erie and away from the city’s largest police shooting in history. 

Hill was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he was evaluated for injuries and released back to police. 

Though charges have not yet been announced against him, District Attorney Krasner assured the public Thursday that justice would be served.

He will face "more than enough charges,” Krasner said, “so Mr. Maurice Hill may never exit jail." 

Reporter Esteban Parra contributed.

Contact Brandon Holveck at bholveck@delawareonline.com or at (302) 324-2267. Follow on Twitter @holveck_brandon. Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 or bhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.