Currents News Staff
A nearly eight-hour standoff between a gunman and police in Philadelphia is adding fuel to the gun control debate in the U.S. as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle weigh in.
Panic ensued in the streets of North Philadelphia as bullets flew for hours.
Police officers who were attempting to serve a narcotics warrant entered a row house and as they got to the kitchen area, 36-year-old Maurice Hill fired multiple rounds.
“We’re dealing with a violent felon who told me himself during negotiations that he had an extensive arrest record and that he did not want to deal with prison again,” said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross.
According to police, Hill barricaded himself inside for almost eight hours and continued shooting, trapping some officers in the house.
By the time he surrendered, six officers had been injured
“There are many heroes from last night, probably too many to mention by name. Certainly, you know of the six officers who were struck by gunfire,” said Ross.
The shooting is now adding fuel to the gun control debate.
“We need to start with really good gun legislation,” said Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, a Democrat.
“Let’s take guns out of the hands of people like this. Then they don’t have the means to do the things that this jerk did last night,” he added.
President Trump had a different focus regarding the incident, tweeting, “the Philadelphia shooter should never have been allowed to be on the streets. He had a long and very dangerous criminal record.”
The president ended his tweet with a call to get tougher on street crime.