2-year-old ‘not even crying’ after being reportedly grazed by bullet in Germantown police-involved shooting [update]

Update: Lt. John Sanford of the Philadelphia Police Department public-affairs unit identified the alleged shooter as Kyree Johnson, 22, of the 600 block of Johnson St.; 6abc has released video related to the incident.

One man is dead after a police-involved shooting during which a toddler was reportedly grazed by stray gunfire Wednesday night in southwest Germantown.

Shortly after 10 p.m., a police officer assigned to the 39th District was on routine patrol along Wayne Ave. near Berkeley St. when he observed a male suspect firing several shots at two others, according to Chief Inspector Scott Small.

The officer, who Small did not identify, was within feet of the shooter when he got out of his vehicle and fired several shots, striking the gunman in the chest.

The suspect, a man in his 20s who police have yet to publicly identify, dropped his weapon, said to be a .45-caliber handgun. Officers then drove him to Albert Einstein Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 10:37 p.m.

It was the third police-involved shooting of the day in Philadelphia.

From the scene

Based on ballistic evidence at the scene, the suspect fired at least eight shots, investigators told NewsWorks.

Small said that the gunman likely struck one of the two men, as blood-stained clothing was found several blocks away on the 200 block of W. Manheim St.

“There’s a lot of blood there, indicating that someone was shot,” said Small, who added that police are searching area hospitals for the potential victim.

While no injuries to police were reported, Small confirmed hearing preliminary accounts of a two-year-old male and a 25-year-old female being grazed by police gunfire.

Both were transported to AEMC, where they were listed in good condition.

“I saw the two-year-old personally, and he was not even crying,” said Small.

Police are waiting to confirm the existence of the graze wounds on the two bystanders, who were said to be seated on a nearby stoop.

Along with seeking potential surveillance footage, police are interviewing several witnesses.

Per department policy, the officer will be placed on desk duty pending the outcome of an investigation headed by homicide and internal affairs’ shooting team.

Latest in a recent series

The fatal shooting occurs one week after another fatal police-involved shooting in Germantown.

As reported by NewsWorks, officers from the 14th Police District shot and killed a man on the 5600 block of Devon St. near E. Chelten Ave. on May 22.

In that case, police responding to a man-with-a-gun call gave chase after reportedly seeing a 35-year-old man running away from the scene. As officers approached him, Belton Lomax pulled a semi-automatic Ruger handgun from his waistband and pointed it at officers, according to police accounts of the incident.

One officer fired, striking the suspect in the chest. Lomax collapsed on the street and was pronounced dead at the scene by medics.

Seven police-involved shootings have occurred in the last week, two of them preceding the Wayne Ave. shooting by mere hours.

Wednesday’s trio of shootings occurred just hours after it was reported that Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey asked the U.S. Department of Justice to review departmental guidelines regarding the use of deadly force.