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Investigators released new video of a fight and shooting inside a Philadelphia corner store that left 28-year-old Alexander Spencer dead and a police officer injured.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore and District Attorney Larry Krasner all spoke during an 11 a.m. press conference at the public services building on Tuesday and presented surveillance video with multiple angles of the shooting.
"Today is the day for transparency," Krasner said during the press conference. "Today is the day for the public to see the truth about what it is that is visible."
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PHILADELPHIAJAN 27 Police searching for man that took suspect’s gun who shot an officer during a fight on Friday
PHILADELPHIA10 HOURS AGO Officials release new video of store shooting that left man dead, officer hurt
Video of the shooting
The incident occurred on Jan. 26 around 8:45 p.m. at a grocery store along the 2800 block of North Mascher Street.
Deputy Commissioner Vanore said two 24th District officers were on a routine patrol inside an unmarked Ford Taurus. The officers parked outside the store and one of the officers walked inside for a security check, according to Vanore.
"He was armed with the information that there was an individual from that area wanted for a non-fatal shooting warrant," Vanore said. "That shooting had happened a few weeks before this night. He knew who that individual was and he knew he hung out in the area of that store. So he was out looking for that individual to see if he could contact him."
Surveillance video released by police shows Spencer, an unidentified man in a black hooded sweatshirt, and a third man in a red hooded sweatshirt -- later identified by investigators as 42-year-old Jose Quinones-Mendez -- hanging out in the back of the store.
A fourth man in a light-colored sweatshirt enters the store and says in Spanish, "They're coming," just before the first officer enters the store.
Vanore said that the fourth man's words "immediately heightened the officer's suspicion that something was going on in that store."
Officials released new surveillance video showing a scuffle and shooting that left a man dead and a Philadelphia police officer injured. NBC10's Karen Hua has the latest on the investigation while NBC10's Fred Shropshire takes a closer look at the video.
Video shows the officer then speaking with the man in the light-colored sweatshirt though it's unclear from the video what's being said. The officer then approaches and speaks with Spencer, Quinones-Mendez, and the man in the black sweatshirt. The officer's partner then walks into the store.
Another angle from the surveillance video shows the officers speaking with Spencer though it is once again unclear what is being said. Vanore said one of the officers spotted what he believed to be a gun in Spencer's pocket. The video shows the officers searching Spencer. A struggle between the three men then ensues and the officers wrestle Spencer to the floor.
Spencer is heard shouting "I can't breathe" as the struggle continues.
A gunshot is then heard. Police said it was at that moment when one of the officers was shot in the leg causing his blood to flow on the floor.
“We now know that he had a double perforating wound," Vanore said. “So he was down in a crouch during the struggle, his leg was bent, and the bullet goes in his thigh, out his thigh, in the back of his calf, and out the front of his leg. So, one bullet went through four times.”
Police said the video appeared to show that both officers had their weapons holstered when the first shot was fired.
Police said the wounded officer then pulled out his gun and tried to shoot Spencer but was unable to do so. His partner -- later identified as 33-year-old Raheem Hall -- then pulled out his gun and opened fire, shooting and killing Spencer.
The video shows the wounded officer yelling "I'm shot! I'm shot!" Officer Hall, meanwhile, yells in his radio, "Shots fired!"
Vanore said the wounded officer never fired a shot and Officer Hall only fired one shot, which struck and killed Spencer.
Another angle from the video shows a gun sliding across the floor inside the store after the shooting. Quinones-Mendez and the man in the light-colored sweatshirt are seen filming the officers and Spencer with their phones. Quinones-Mendez then grabs the gun on the floor and leaves the scene. Police said the gun he took belonged to Spencer. Surveillance photo of Quinones-Mendez picking up the gun.
On Sunday, officials released details on Quinones-Mendez, saying he is about five-foot, eight inches tall and weighs about 160 lbs. and his last known address was along the 2900 block of N. Hancock Street.
The Philadelphia Police Department Jose Quinones-Mendez, 42, of North Philadelphia, is sought after a Philly police officer was shot on Friday night.
On Monday, Philadelphia's police union announced a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to Quinones-Mendez's arrest.
“Our reward is payable immediately if the tip information leads to the whereabouts of this individual,” Roosevelt Poplar, president of the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 5, said in a statement. "This individual should be considered armed and dangerous after fleeing the scene with a firearm.”
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Quinones-Mendez is asked to call the Philadelphia police homicide unit at 215-686-3334 or 911.
The officer who was shot in the leg was taken to the hospital and listed in stable condition, officials said. He was later released from the hospital Monday afternoon.
Last edited by maxk; 01-30-2024, 10:55 PM.
