Police fatally shoot man who allegedly opened fire in Rhawnhurst

A man was killed in an apparent shootout with police Wednesday morning near Roosevelt Boulevard in Northeast Philadelphia, authorities said.

Just before 5 a.m., officers responded to Borbeck Avenue between the boulevard and Bradford Street in Rhawnhurst for a report of a crash, Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore told reporters at the scene.

One officer approached a driver in a pickup truck, whose vehicle was stopped partially on the sidewalk adjacent to the Barbera on the Boulevard car dealership, and asked if he needed assistance, according to Vanore. The driver, believed to be a man in his 70s, said nothing was wrong, PPD officials said.

When the officer returned to his patrol car and began to drive away, he heard what he thought to be two gunshots, Vanore said. He returned to the area near the truck and called for backup, according to police.

Police supervisors implemented a barricade situation and called in SWAT officers. During the standoff, the man began throwing items out of the truck, according to Vanore.

Authorities closed a large section of the 12-lane boulevard – between Rhawn Street and Tyson Avenue – during the barricade.

After several rounds were allegedly fired, two SWAT officers shot back, and the driver was found dead in the driver’s seat of the truck, Vanore said.

No officers were injured during the exchange. Vanore said a firearm was recovered inside the vehicle. Authorities have not identified the man or commented on a possible motive.

The truck, a Dodge Ram, remained on the scene late Wednesday morning, as crime scene investigators examined it in frigid temperatures. Bullet holes could be seen in the vehicle’s windshield and body.

Vanore said the officers who responded to the scene handled the situation correctly. “I think they were very brave,” he added. “They’re very lucky today.”