Officer shot in the leg in North Philly during traffic stop Monday, police say

A Philadelphia police officer is recovering in the hospital after being shot in the leg on Monday evening in North Philly, officials said.

The shooting happened around 7:40 p.m. on the 1700 block of Cumberland Street on Monday, May 4, according to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel.

Two officers had pulled over a car that had two people inside and asked them to get out of the vehicle, Commissioner Bethel reported.

While checking one of the person’s pockets, a gun discharged leading to one of the officers being shot in the right leg, Bethel said.

The officer is a 53-year-old man and a 20-year veteran of the force. He is also married with three children, according to Bethel.

“During that car stop process, they have two individuals out of the vehicle,” Bethel said. “One of the officers, a 53-year-old officer with highway 10, married with three children, he goes to frisk the individual, there’s a gun on him and that gun discharges.”

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker has met with the officer and he is in stable condition, officials said.

“Grateful our officer is okay after tonight’s incident in North Philadelphia. This is a dangerous job, and moments like this remind us what our men and women face every day. Thank you to everyone who responded quickly and professionally,” Commissioner Bethel wrote in a statement on social media.

One person is in custody following this incident. A second person stayed at the scene to speak to police and has not been arrested, according to officials.

SkyForce10 was over the scene around 8 p.m. where several police cars could be seen blocking at least one block.

We saw an officer standing by a red sedan that had its drivers side door open.

SkyForce10 also went over Temple Hospital where police cars could be seen outside the Emergency Room entrance.

This is a developing news story. Check back here for updates.

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