Wounded Chester cop goes home

A police officer injured Tuesday in a gunbattle that left one 16-year-old suspect dead and another hospitalized and facing felony charges, was released from Crozer-Chester Medical Center yesterday.

Luis Rodriguez, a Chester Housing Authority officer, was shot in the right upper arm while responding to a home-invasion robbery at Rose and Madison streets Tuesday afternoon.

One suspect, Andre Morales, 16, was fatally shot while exchanging gunfire with responding officers.

The other suspect, identified as Shaquille Byrd, 16, was wounded while exchanging gunfire with police while he was trying to flee, according to a statement from the Delaware County District Attorney's Office.

Police chased Byrd, who had multiple wounds, to a nearby porch on Upland Street where he was captured.

He was taken to Crozer-Chester Medical Center, where he was listed in critical but stable condition yesterday.

He was charged yesterday with second-degree murder, criminal attempted homicide, aggravated assault and related offenses.

Even though Morales was shot by police, Byrd was charged with murder because he was allegedly involved in the crime that led to Morales' death.

Byrd was listed on the Chester High School basketball team's roster from 2008-2009 as a sophomore guard, but wasn't listed on last year's roster on MaxPreps.com.

On his MySpace page, where he refers to himself as "S.B. $We Get Money$," he lists his mood as "Money, Power, Resp."

A 34-year-old man injured in the melee was listed in stable condition, officials said.

Delaware County District Attorney G. Michael Green praised community members who called police for help.

"This brazen daylight home invasion robbery was interrupted by police and those responsible brought to justice only because alert members of the community did not hesitate to call 9-1-1 when they spotted trouble," Green said.

Tuesday's shoot-out came 10 days after Chester Mayor Wendell Butler Jr. declared a state of emergency and implemented an all-ages nighttime curfew in five sections of the city.

The incident did not happen in one of those areas.

Last week, the City Council extended Butler's state of emergency for 30 days, prohibiting children and adults from going outside after 9 p.m. "without a legitimate reason" in five high-crime areas.

The Associated Press and staff writer Ted Silary contributed to this report.