Officers from the 15th Police District wounded a man who allegedly pointed a gun at them outside the Whitehall Commons public housing complex last Thursday afternoon.
Two officers arrived at Margaret and Tackawanna streets at 5:15 p.m. to investigate a report of a person with a gun and got a description of a suspect from witnesses, said Lt. Ray Evers, a Philadelphia police spokesman.
Moments later, they soon spotted a man fitting the description who was walking toward the Whitehall complex, which is one block from the intersection, Evers said. The suspect allegedly had a gun in his waistband.
The officers were in uniform and rode in a marked police car. When the suspect spotted them, he ran, pulled his gun and pointed it at his pursuers, Evers said.
Both officers returned fire, wounding the suspect twice in the abdomen, Evers said. He was hospitalized in guarded condition at Albert Einstein Medical Center and identified as Joshua Appling, 26, of the 1800 block of N. 20th St.
He remained hospitalized on Tuesday. A hearing date had not been set.
Police recovered a 9mm semi-automatic pistol loaded with eight live rounds, Evers said.
Both officers were uninjured and have been placed on administrative duty pending an administrative review of the incident. Also in accordance with department protocol, the officers must be recertified on their service weapons, meet with an employee counselor and be cleared for duty by their commanding officer, Evers said. ••
