Suspect charged in shooting of Philadelphia police officer who remains ‘on life support’
A 36-year-old man was charged with attempted murder in connection with a traffic stop shooting that left a Philadelphia police officer fighting for his life, authorities said.
Ramon Rodriguez Vazquez was charged with two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, aggravated assault, evading arrest, home invasion and other related charges.
The shooting happened around 8 p.m. Saturday in the city’s Kensington neighborhood.
The 31-year-old officer and his partner conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle with four individuals inside, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel told reporters outside Temple University Hospital late Saturday.
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While the officers were taking inventory of the vehicle, they spotted someone with a gun holster, Bethel said.
One man fled and fired three shots at the officers, Bethel said. One officer was struck in the neck, while the other officer returned fire.
The wounded officer’s partner drove him to the hospital, where he remained in critical condition.
Mayor Cherelle Parker said that the officer was "on life support. On a breathing machine. Fighting for his life."
"As your mayor, it is not lost on me that on today a husband, a father and a son met his partner and went to work to do a job that he's been doing for about six and a half years," Parker told reporters. "He didn't expect that he would be in a fight for his life right now."
Vazquez was taken into custody following two barricade situations. All other individuals inside the car at the time of the shooting were also taken into custody, police said.
Officials have yet to publicly name the wounded officer.