Police ID man accused of fleeing with suspect’s gun after officer shot, suspect killed

Authorities have identified a man they allege fled a North Philadelphia corner store with a gun that had been used to wound a police officer after the shooter was fatally wounded by another officer.

Police said Sunday that they are seeking 42-year-old Jose Quinones-Mendez on firearms, obstruction of justice and evidence-tampering charges. Police earlier had distributed photos of the then-unidentified man and said he should be considered armed and dangerous.

Authorities said two officers patrolling the city’s Fairhill section entered the store Friday night and approached a group of men. As they tried to stop one of the men, 28-year-old Alexander Spencer scuffled with an officer and fired a shot that hit an officer in the thigh, police said.

Police said the other officer then returned fire, hitting Spencer, who was taken to Temple University Hospital and pronounced dead. Police said the wounded officer also was taken to the hospital and listed in stable condition.

Quinones-Mendez, whose last known address was near the store, is described as 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, police said. A message seeking comment was sent Sunday to the Defender Association of Philadelphia, which represented him in an earlier case.

Police have not identified the officers involved. They said the wounded officer has been on the force for nine years and the officer who fired has been on the force for five years.

The city’s police commissioner, Kevin Bethel, decried the violence against officers, saying he had “been here too many times.”

“I’m proud of the men and women who work for me, I am proud of the fact that they go into these areas and they fight this battle each and every day,” he said.

Mayor Cherelle Parker expressed relief that the officer would “survive this terrible incident” but said the violence in the city “must not and cannot be permitted to stand.”

“This sense of lawlessness must stop in the city of Philadelphia,” she said. “There are far too many guns in our city, and too many too willing to pick up a gun.”