3,000-plus illegally dumped tires found in dredging of Schuylkill River
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1 year ago
This story originally appeared on 6abc.
Officials have identified the two officers who were shot in a parking garage at the Philadelphia International Airport on Thursday night, one of them fatally.
Officer Richard Mendez, 50, was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after he was shot multiple times in the upper body.
Mendez was married and had a daughter. He had been on the force for just under 23 years.
The other officer, identified as Raul Ortiz, 60, was shot in the arm and is currently recovering from his gunshot wound.
Ortiz is also married and has three children. Police say Ortiz has 20 years on the force.
The shooting happened just after 11 p.m. Thursday as the two officers, who were assigned to the airport unit, were coming into work at parking garage D.
Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford said the officers saw several people breaking into a vehicle in the parking garage area.
As the officers approached, “the suspects opened fire,” hitting Mendez several times in the upper body and Ortiz in the arm, Stanford said.
“Oh my God, we got an officer down, officer down first level,” a voice can be heard on a police radio call.
Police say the suspects fled in a stolen black Dodge Durango after the shooting, and police say that same vehicle dropped off an 18-year-old man with gunshot wounds at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia at 11:29 p.m.
He has been identified as Jesus Herman Madera Duran. He had gunshot wounds to the chest, abdomen, and left arm, police say. He was pronounced dead at 11:37 p.m.
Police believe he was shot in the same incident that left Ofc. Mendez dead and Ofc. Ortiz wounded.
Police say the Durango was found torched in South Brunswick in northern New Jersey.
On Friday afternoon, Chopper 6 was overhead as a line of officers walked side-by-side in the grass along the side of Interstate 95 northbound near Academy Road in Northeast Philadelphia.
Police say an Airtag or a similar device that was inside a stolen Dodge Durango connected to this investigation was found in the area.
The highway was shut down for about two hours. It has since reopened.
A reward of $168,500 is being offered by a host of police unions as well as other organizations and businesses.
The reward will be paid immediately for any information that leads to an arrest, the Philly FOP said.
“You bring them in today you’re paid today,” said FOP Lodge 5 President John McNesby.
Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or 215-686-TIPS.
McNesby said the FOP is accepting donations to add to the reward.
This is in addition to the $20,000 reward offered by the City of Philadelphia for an arrest and conviction in all murder cases.
“This is a numb, numb moment for us to again encounter something like this,” said Stanford. “We just had three officers shot last week.”
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said law enforcement staff across multiple agencies were working to identify those responsible, but said they lacked the ability to match crime scene ballistics to firearms through a database of gun sales, citing a lack of gun regulation. Pennsylvania state law prevents law enforcement and government agencies from having firearm registries.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney posted on social media saying he was heartbroken by the tragic loss.
“My thoughts are with their family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time, and I pray for the second officer’s swift recovery,” he said.
Two separate Philadelphia police officers were also involved in a car crash while responding to the shooting.
The crash happened just before 12:30 a.m. Friday at the intersection of 48th Street and Baltimore Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia.
Both are said to be in stable condition. No information has been released on what led to the collision.