PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia police have identified the man two officers shot and killed during a standoff on Friday, as well as one of the officers who shot him.
It was around 11 a.m. when police said 60-year-old William Austin carried a gun, pointing it in multiple directions in the area of 21st Street and the Ben Franklin Parkway.
City and SEPTA police both responded, and officials said Austin pointed the gun at police from time to time.
Police took cover and requested SWAT backup. A trained negotiator tried to talk to Austin over a cruiser’s loudspeaker, but police said Austin frequently pointed the gun at himself and officers on scene.
It took a few minutes for Austin to put the gun down, but then officials said he picked it back up about a minute later and pointed it back at police.
That’s when police said 38-year-old Officer Eric Lee, of the Counter-Terrorism Unit, and an unidentified SEPTA police officer each fired one round at Austin, hitting him. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Both cops were uniformed and on duty, and neither was hurt.
Commissioner Kevin Bethel, at the scene on Friday, said the use of deadly force in that situation helped prevent it from worsening.
“Someone firing a weapon on the Parkway, we run the significant risk of someone being struck, walking by or in one of these buildings,” he said. “The officers had to take the action necessary to stop that threat.”
In accordance with policy, Lee — a 13-year veteran of the force — is on administrative duty while multiple bodies investigate, including Internal Affairs and the District Attorney’s Office.
