DA: No charges in death of man shot by police in home

The Philadelphia District Attorney’s office says no charges will be filed in the death of a man shot by police in his home after he fired at them, apparently mistaking them for intruders.

Authorities said members of the SWAT team were seeking the grandson of 59-year-old Ricardo Giddings on a weapons violation when they entered the Germantown residence Aug. 6.

Police say Giddings fired four rounds from a stairway, striking an officer, and was killed by another officer’s return fire. Giddings’ wife was shot in the abdomen and hospitalized. The grandson being sought later turned himself in.

Prosecutors said Tuesday the shooting was justified because the officer “reasonably believed he was in danger of death or serious bodily injury.

Police commissioner Richard Ross called the shooting “an all-out, absolute tragedy.”