'I Thought I Was In The DMZ Zone': Nicetown-Tioga Resident Reminded Of War Zone After 6 Philadelphia Police Officers Shot
UPDATE: Suspect surrendered to police shortly after 12 a.m. Thursday. The suspect's attorney has identified the alleged gunman as 36-year-old Maurice Hill.
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The response to a police standoff where six Philadelphia police officers were shot in Nicetown-Tioga Wednesday was massive. Several blocks were closed off and people living in the neighborhood were told to shelter in place.
Eyewitness News talked to residents throughout the night about the tense and frightening situation.
Eyewitness News was on the scene where six Philadelphia police officers were shot all Wednesday afternoon and evening, overlooking a spot that tactical units had been using as an access point to where the shooter was located -- inside of a home on the 3700 block of North 15th Street in Nicetown-Tioga.
Hundreds of residents lined police tape since the exchanges of gunfire began around 4:30 p.m.
Onlookers had their gaze fixed east toward Broad Street, where just yards away, a shooter remained violently active. On nearby blocks, police had no choice but to ask residents to back up and go inside of their homes.
Some people on scene were just curious. Others stood outdoors because access to their block and home was severed due to safety concerns.
From 4:30 to 8 p.m., gunfire did not cease for more than 40 minutes at a time.
For some, the near constant sound of shots felt like nothing more than a reality of where they live -- and for others it brought back memories of a war zone.
"It's unsafe but this is the hood. This is what we live with everyday," one woman said.
"When they started jumping with the firepower and stuff like that, they did it right in front of the daycare. The babies were out and everything. That's crazy," one woman said. "I'm an Army discharged veteran. I thought I was in the DMZ zone. It's triggering PTSD -- all types of things. All of this needs to be resolved. It's senseless, seriously senseless
Perhaps what was most frightening in terms of onlookers and residents, is the change we saw throughout the afternoon. Early on, each round of shots caused commotion and fear.
But as it continued, the shock began to wear off. Those watching on and perhaps us too, growing accustomed to what we were hearing. That is not something you want for any city.
