Philly has its third shooting incident targeting police within the past three weeks

On Tuesday, a plainclothes officer sitting in an unmarked car near Kingsessing Avenue and South Sanford Street and was shot at by an unknown gunman, officials said. 

The gunman fired a semi-automatic weapon, hitting the officer’s vehicle twice. The officer was not injured, according to multiple reports. Fox reported that the suspect shot off eight rounds. 

Officials told outlets that they have leads, but as of Wednesday afternoon, there were no arrests. 

Acting Philadelphia Police Commissioner Christine Coulter told CBS that, “They have someone who is a person of interest not in custody. They may know who may be connected to the ongoing violence.” 

CBS reported that police are investigating a potential connection between this incident and a homicide that occurred last week in the same area.  

The gunman is described as being six-foot-one and wearing jeans and a grey hoodie. Police reports state that the gunman escaped in an alleyway. 

News of this incident comes within a week of a standoff that occurred in Philly, where officials arrested five people for shooting at two plainclothes officers. 

Prior to this incident, there was also an Aug. 14 standoff that left six officers injured. 

Coulter told Fox that this incident “highlights how dangerous the job is whether they know you are a police officer or not.”

She added, “You’re putting yourself in harm’s way when you are out doing investigations. It’s a testament to the men and women who still go out every day and do the job knowing…that there are people who are often willing to fire — whether it’s police officers or citizens,” 

Additionally, she said, “That level of gun violence is what we really need to get to the root of.”