Man charged in cops shooting ordered to trial on more counts

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Philadelphia man charged with shooting six police officers during an hours-long standoff last summer was held for trial Thursday on a third set of charges stemming from the incident.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Municipal Court Judge Karen Y. Simmons held Maurice Hill for trial on the third set of charges, including attempted murder. The virtual preliminary hearing was held on Zoom with Hill and his attorney in one room at the city's justice center and 15 police officers offering their testimony from another courtroom.

After being ordered to stand trial in December on the most serious charges, then again in March for dozens of additional charges filed by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, Hill was scheduled to be in court for a third hearing in April. That hearing was delayed by COVID-19 court closures.

The shooting and standoff on August 14, 2019, caused residents to be evacuated for hours as sporadic gunfire pinged off of surrounding buildings. Children were briefly trapped inside of a day care center across the street.

Law enforcement officials have said the incident started as a drug raid on a different house, but ended with officers entering the residence where Hill was located and a barrage of gunfire bringing dozens of officers to the small street in the North Philadelphia neighborhood.

Hill was taken into custody after a negotiated surrender that involved a call with then-police Commissioner Richard Ross. No one was killed during the hours of shooting. One officer was shot in the head, but survived his injuries.

Many of the officers injured by gunfire testified at previous hearings. Thursday, more than a dozen officers who were called to the scene after the standoff began testified about ducking for cover and...