2 men try to rob off-duty cop; 1 is killed

Two robbers picked the wrong guy to hold up at gunpoint early yesterday in Cobbs Creek - an armed off-duty police officer.

The 19th District cop shot and killed one of the men, said police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore. The other ran away, firing at the officer as he fled, according to Vanore.

The holdup happened about 1:50 a.m. near 58th and Webster streets, as the officer, who had worked the late shift, was exiting his car, police said.

One of the two men put a gun to the cop's chest and demanded money, Vanore said.

Instead of pulling out his wallet, the officer pulled out his weapon and fired, striking one of the men in his torso, police said.

That suspect, whose identity had not been verified by police as of yesterday, was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was pronounced dead.

His accomplice fled leaving his friend at the scene, and shooting as he fled, Vanore said.

"We know that because there are strike marks on a wall right behind where the officer was standing," he said.

The officer - whose name is not being released - was not injured, police said.

The fleeing suspect is not believed to have been injured in the shoot-out. He is described as black, around 18 years old and between 5 feet 7 and 5 feet 8. He had a goatee and was wearing a tan hoodie at the time.

Vanore said that robbery appeared random and not targeted at the officer involved.

"It doesn't appear to be anything related to anything else with the officer," he said.

"Though it's very early in the investigation, it looks like he was a random victim."

The officer has been placed on desk duty pending an investigation by Internal Affairs, Homicide and the District Attorney's Office, Vanore said.