Two Philadelphia police officers shot during fireworks show

Maureen Breslin
·2 min read
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Two Philadelphia police officers were shot Monday during the city’s Fourth of July fireworks show outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, according to a press release by The City of Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management.

The gunfire caused panicked viewers to flee the scene in droves down Benjamin Franklin Parkway, according to a video posted by journalist David Leavitt.

One officer’s forehead was grazed by a bullet, according to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, while another was shot in the shoulder.

“It is miraculous that the round stopped in his hat. It initially, I think, went up the inside, hit his forehead, and then the round stopped in his hat,” Outlaw said late Monday.

Both officers were treated and released from Jefferson University Hospital Tuesday morning, as they were saluted while leaving the hospital, 6abc reported.

Outlaw said that thus far there have not been any arrests of a suspect connected to the shooting.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney (D) also expressed frustration with gun culture in the U.S. following the shooting.

“The weather was beautiful, the concert was beautiful, but we live in America, and we have the Second Amendment, and we have the Supreme Court of the United States telling everybody they can carry a gun wherever they want,” Kenney said.

The mayor also stated that he no longer enjoys high-profile events due to the fear of gun violence.

“If I had the ability to take care of guns, I would,” Kenney said, “But the legislature won’t let us. The U.S. Congress won’t let us … but this is a gun country. It’s crazy. We’re one of the most armed countries in the world, and we’re one of the least safe.”

The fireworks show shooting in Philadelphia came on the same day a gunman opened fire in Highland Park, Ill., a wealthy suburb of Chicago, during a parade celebrating the Fourth of July. The shooting left six dead and 30 others wounded.

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