Suspect accused of taking gun used in police shooting now in custody

A man who allegedly swiped a gun used in the shooting of a Philadelphia police officer last week in Fairhill was arrested Wednesday night, authorities said.

Jose Quinones-Mendez, 42, was apprehended near the corner of Juniper and Race streets in Center City, and he is expected to be charged with firearm violations, theft, obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence, according to police.

Quinones-Mendez was allegedly one of the men at Jennifer Tavern, a beer deli at Mascher and Cambria streets, on Jan. 26 when Police Officer Raheem Hall killed 28-year-old Alexander Spencer after his partner was shot in the leg.

Surveillance footage released this week shows the two officers wrestling on the ground with Spencer when a shot is fired. Then, a handgun is tossed from the pile toward the entrance of the shop moments before the fatal shot.

Hall walks past the gun, appearing not to notice it. A man in a red hoodie, identified by authorities as Quinones-Mendez, then seems to accidentally step on it while holding up a cellphone. He is seen picking up the weapon.

It is not clear whether authorities have recovered that gun. A PPD spokesperson declined to provide further information.

Police distributed images of the man in the red hoodie a day after the shooting and later put out a name.

Quinones-Mendez’s legal representation could not be identified Thursday.