'Prayed We Wouldn't Get Shot': Mother Of 3 Recalls Nearly Being Caught In Crossfire Of Police Shootout In Nicetown-Tioga
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Philadelphia woman is describing what she and her family went through during an hourslong standoff and shootout in the city's Nicetown-Tioga neighborhood last week. It comes as District Attorney Larry Krasner announced charges against the alleged gunman on Monday.
"It's just too much. We will not be living here any longer than this," said the mother of three.
The mother, who asked Eyewitness News to hide her identity, is ready to leave her neighborhood behind after nearly getting caught in the crossfire of last week's shootout between Philadelphia police and alleged gunman Maurice Hill.
More Charges Likely In Nicetown-Tioga Police Shootout That Injured 6 Officers, DA Larry Krasner Says
"We were on the floor, basically for four-and-a-half or five hours," she said. "We couldn't get up to eat or drink or use the bathrooms, so we just kind of laid there and prayed that we wouldn't get shot and killed."
Next door, the rowhome where Hill was allegedly holed up and firing at police with a semi-automatic rifle for hours, is now boarded up. The crime scene unit spent several days trying to account for each of the 100-plus rounds fired last Wednesday.
While there is still more work to do -- conducting interviews, reviewing video and testing evidence in the lab -- Krasner is ready to move forward with charges against Hill.
The charges include multiple counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault and unlawful restraint for allegedly holding several officers and bystanders hostage.
"Every person from the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office understands that the city is reeling from what happened last week," Krasner said.
While no lives were lost, it's hard to put a number on how many have been forever changed.
"We won't be coming back here, we have to relocate. It's too scary for the kids," the mother said. "Get over it? No, but we'll learn to live with it."
To help with all of the trauma that has happened to residents of the neighborhood, an organization called Operation Save Our City is holding a meeting Monday night for people to come together to vent and heal.
