PHILADELPHIA — A man was shot and killed by a Philadelphia police officer early Monday near Philadelphia International Airport following an altercation in which two attempts to subdue him with a Taser were unsuccessful, authorities said.
The incident began at 1:06 a.m. when an officer with the Philadelphia Police Department’s Airport Unit encountered a 36-year-old man on the southbound I-95 ramp at 1 PIA Way. The man told the officer he had been stabbed, prompting the officer to call for backup and request medics.
According to a preliminary investigation, a physical struggle broke out between the officer and the man while waiting for additional units to arrive. The officer deployed a Taser, but it failed to subdue the man. A second officer arrived at the scene and also attempted to use a Taser, which was again ineffective. At that point, the second officer fired his gun multiple times, striking the man. Medics arrived and pronounced him dead at 1:25 a.m.
The officer who fired his weapon, a 53-year-old, 28-year veteran of the force, has been placed on administrative duty pending investigations by Internal Affairs and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. Neither officer was equipped with a body-worn camera.
Authorities have not released the identity of the man or provided further details on the circumstances leading up to the encounter.
