SWAT Officer Saved By Bulletproof Vest Leads To Philadelphia Officials Again Calling For Stricter Gun Laws
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Thanks to a bulletproof vest, a SWAT officer is OK and back with his family Friday night. It was a close call in Fairhill.
A SWAT team was serving a drug-related search warrant when police say a suspect opened fire, striking an officer in the chest. Now the question turns to what action will leaders take to get illegal guns off the streets.
Thankfully, that officer will be OK, but the incident has officials saying enough is enough.
"It's time for the leadership here to get their head out of their ass and start doing their job," FOP President John McNesby said.
"It's easier to get a gun than it is to get a driver's license here," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said.
"The legislature who claim they support police could really support police by getting more of these guns off the street," Mayor Jim Kenney said.
They're all calling for change ran through the ranks as officials called out the need for gun reform.
This comes hours after a gunman shot a Philadelphia SWAT officer who was serving a warrant in Fairhill Friday afternoon.
The bullet pierced his bulletproof vest inside of a rowhome on Lehigh and 2nd Street. The officer survived.
Officials say the unidentified gunman was wanted on a narcotics warrant and was previously convicted. How he was able to get a gun so quickly is a question they're asking lawmakers.
"It's up to all of us, up to all of us and it's definitely up to Harrisburg because Pennsylvania has some of the worst gun laws in the nation," state Sen. Vincent Hughes said.
Hughes says legislation, such as background checks for gun purchases, is a start. Currently, the state has $6 billion in funding that needs to be spent.
"To turn these neighborhoods around, to bring some life and hope opportunities in these neighborhoods, to support and make sure that everyone in law enforcement has the up to date technology," Hughes said.
Rep. Dwight Evans agrees with using funding to fix the problem. He is co-leading a bill that would give $1 billion in federal money to help police solve cases.
"This is not a partisan issue so we need to collectively use all of our forces to send a message that this violence is unacceptable," Evans said.
The suspect was taken into custody. His name and charges are still unknown.
