Man killed in shootout with police in South Philly

Police officers fatally shot a 48-year-old man Thursday morning in South Philadelphia after he allegedly ran from officers who had stopped him on his bicycle and later fired his gun at them, authorities said.

Capt. Sekou Kinebrew, police spokesperson, said the man — whom he did not identify — was stopped by two officers about 11 a.m. as he was riding his bicycle on the 1900 block of South Woodstock Street. The officers believed they noticed a gun in the man's pants, Kinebrew said, but as they approached, he dropped his bicycle and ran away.

At least one of the officers chased the man and yelled at him to stop, Kinebrew said. The officer — whom Kinebrew did not identify — saw the man take the gun from his pants and begin holding it under his shirt. At 20th and Mercy Streets, he said, the man and police shot at each other, although Kinebrew said he did not know who opened fire first.

At 20th and Snyder Avenue, the man was confronted by a patrol car responding to the chase, and more shots were fired — both at the vehicle and by the officers inside it, Kinebrew said. The exchange left the car's windshield riddled with bullet holes, although Kinebrew said it was not clear if the damage was caused by shots the man fired or shots officers took through the glass.

The man fell wounded and was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, Kinebrew said.

A witness who identified himself as Suliemon Gardner said he saw several police officers chasing the man down 20th and heard more than 10 shots, most of which he said appeared to have come from police.

"That's overkill," he said. "That's way too much."

Kinebrew said it was not yet known how many officers fired their weapons or how many shots any of them fired.