Multiple police officers were shot in Philadelphia on Wednesday after at least one gunman opened fire on police trying to serve a warrant in the city’s Nicetown district, officials said.
Philadelphia Police Sgt. Eric Gripp tweeted that six officers were shot and were treated at area hospitals for non-life threatening injuries. He added they have since been released though the situation remained active.
{mosads}Gripp tweeted around 9:30 p.m. that two additional police officers, who as of 8 p.m. were still trapped inside a home with the suspected gunman according to NBC 10 Philadelphia, had been “safely evacuated.”
An additional officer was admitted to a hospital for injuries from a vehicle crash related to the incident.
He added that the suspect was still armed and inside the house.
While the officers were trapped, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross labeled them as “hostages.”
“There is no indication [the gunman] is trying to surrender,” he added.
Officers were trying to serve a warrant at the residence when shots were fired, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Ross told the Inquirer that one officer was struck in the head but was conscious and another was hit in at least one arm. NBC 10 reported later that the injured officers were in stable condition.
Witnesses told the outlet that they heard “hundreds” of gunshots in the Nicetown district late afternoon Wednesday, adding that the smell of gunpowder was pungent in the area.
President Trump has been briefed on the shooting and is continuing to monitor the situation, the White House told reporters on Wednesday evening.
Videos of the scene showed a large police response, with dozens of police vehicles and officers responding to the scene.
Police told the Inquirer that two Narcotics Strike Force bicycle officers had been pinned down on the second floor with two people who were handcuffed. They were not injured although officers said a person on the first floor had been firing into the ceiling.