Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 has put up a $20,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of an individual who shot two law enforcement officers during the city’s Welcome America celebration.
“We were inches away from planning a funeral for at least one brave, Philadelphia highway patrol officer as a bullet lodged in his cap,” said FOP Lodge 5 President John McNesby. “There are too many guns on our streets and far too many individuals acting recklessly with these deadly weapons.”
The Philadelphia highway patrol officer was carrying a funeral Mass card in his hat honoring Lodge 5’s recently fallen chaplain, the Rev. Steven Wetzel.
“Father Steve has always supported and counseled our officers over the years and even now he’s still working miracles for our heroes,” McNesby said.
A second officer with the Montgomery County bomb squad was also shot in the shoulder. Both officers are recovering at home after being treated at Jefferson University Hospital.
The reward has grown to $42,500. Joseph Vanderhoff, a retired New York patrolman, contributed $20,000. He was shot, like the Philadelphia officer, through his police hat.
AFSCME Local 676, representing the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, contributed $2,500.
Call 911 or 215-686-TIPS.
