A Southwest Philadelphia homeowner is in critical condition after being shot by a police officer, according to investigators.
It happened Wednesday night on the 6000 block of Christian Street. Investigators say the officer was responding to a 9-11 call reporting a burglary when he entered the home of Steven Moore.
“An officer from the 18th District arrives at a location by himself,” said Lieutenant Ray Evers. “He’s in a marked car in uniform. He approaches the residence and sees the front door open. He goes into the front door and at that time he is met by a male in the house. At this time we’re not sure exactly what was said.”
Police claim there was a confrontation between the two resulting in Moore being shot once in the arm with the bullet traveling into his chest. Police then searched Moore’s home where no weapons were found.
Moore was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where he is in critical condition.
Friends of Moore, also known as “Sidiq,” gathered on Christian Street on Wednesday to pray for him.
“This is a tragedy,” said Imam Naadim Abdulkhabiyr. “The young man is an established business owner, family man. He’s never as far as I’ve known ever been in any kind of trouble.”
A source tells NBC 10 that the officer involved in the shooting is Larry Shields. Shields was also involved in the shooting of Joshua Taylor, 23, in the Frankford section of the city back on April 25.
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During that incident, police say Shields was off-duty when he spotted Taylor with a gun in his hand. Shields identified himself as a police officer and approached Taylor, according to investigators. Taylor then allegedly ran inside a nearby home where Shields pursued him. Police then claim Taylor pointed a gun towards Shields, prompting the officer to fire once, striking Taylor in the chest. Taylor's fiance however claimed that while he had a gun in his pocket, he never threatened Shields and that the shooting was unprovoked.
After interviewing several witnesses, police claimed that while Taylor lawfully owned the gun, he was not licensed to carry it on the streets of Philadelphia. Taylor recovered from his injuries and was charged with aggravated assault, attempted murder and simple assault. Shields was cleared of all charges back on October 7.
As for Wednesday’s incident, police say Shields is currently on desk duty pending an internal affairs investigation. There is still no word on who originally made the 9-11 call.
