SEPTA officer, 2 women expected to survive after Frankford shootout

A SEPTA Transit Police officer and two women are recovering following a shootout Wednesday near the Market-Frankford Line’s Arrott Transportation Center.

The suspected gunman, who allegedly barricaded himself inside a Frankford apartment building and opened fire on law enforcement from the upper floors, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Philadelphia Police Sgt. Eric Gripp told reporters at the scene.

PPD patrol officers heard several gunshots just after 7 p.m. near the corner of Arrott and Leiper streets, authorities said.

Two women, ages 57 and 42, had been shot in the hip, Gripp said, and both were later listed in stable condition.

Officers spotted a man with a handgun and chased him until he ran into an apartment building on the 4700 block of Leiper, according to a preliminary police investigation.

At some point during the pursuit, Ervis Onuzi, a 28-year-old transit SWAT officer, saw a PPD officer in trouble, pinned against a wall, SEPTA police chief Thomas Nestel said. He was covering that officer when he was shot in the abdomen.

Onuzi, who joined the transit force three years ago, was rushed to Temple University Hospital with serious injuries and underwent surgery with his parents and brother by his side. He is expected to survive, officials said.

Multiple PPD officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect, who was shooting out of the second- and third-floor windows, Gripp said.

Tactical units arrived on the scene and surrounded the apartment, eventually determining shortly after 8 p.m. that the gunman was down and injured on the second floor, police said.

He was pronounced dead, and authorities have not identified him or released his age. Investigators recovered a gun near his body.