Investigators say a man was shot and killed by Philadelphia police after he fought, aimed his gun at and fired at an officer. The man’s family and a neighborhood block captain who says she witnessed the incident are disputing this however. They spoke with NBC10’s Aaron Baskerville.
Investigators say a man was shot and killed by Philadelphia police after he fought, aimed his gun at and fired at an officer. The man's family and a neighborhood block captain who says she witnessed the incident are disputing this however.
The ordeal began around 2:20 p.m. Thursday when two 22nd District officers responded to a report of a stolen vehicle along the 2300 block of Fawn Street.
When the officers arrived, they saw a group of people stripping a vehicle of its parts, according to police.
"Seats were taken out. Airbags were being removed. All kinds of parts were being removed from the vehicle," Philadelphia Police Sergeant Eric Gripp said.
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At least two members of the group then ran off. One of the officers then stepped out of his vehicle and approached the scene when another member of the group – a 33-year-old man – fled on foot, investigators said.
The first officer chased after the man -- identified by family members as Curtis Smith -- along the 2200 block of Camac Street while the second officer followed, according to police.
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NBC10 obtained surveillance video of the two officers chasing after Smith.
Smith then ran into the back of a property along the 1200 block of Dauphin Street, investigators said. He then allegedly pulled out a handgun and aimed it at the first officer. That officer then fired at least one shot at Smith, according to investigators.
When the second officer arrived, he spotted his partner fighting with Smith, police said. As the fight continued, Smith fired at least one shot, according to investigators. The second officer then pulled out his own weapon and fired several shots at Smith, police said.
"That stopped the struggle," Gripp said.
The second officer then flagged down another police car and Smith was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 3:06 p.m. Investigators said Smith had been shot several times though they have not yet determined if he had been shot by the first officer, the second officer or both officers.
Neither officer was injured during the incident.
As the investigation continues, Smith's family members are struggling to make sense of what happened.
"That's my son but I don't want to talk right now," Smith's stepfather told NBC10. "He was a good child but I don't want to talk."
Another family member disputed what police said.
"He didn't shoot no cops," she said. "He didn't do none of that. They shot that man in his back. Whether they chased him. Whether he ran. Regardless. They shot him in his back."
A block captain who did not want to be identified told NBC10 she witnessed the incident and wants accountability from police.
"Tell the truth," she said. "Tell the truth! That's all I want to say! Tell the truth!"
Investigators said both officers were wearing body cameras. They were both placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation, officials said.
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