UPDATED: Feb. 19, 5:30 p.m.
UPLAND, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A Chester police officer was shot Saturday in an exchange of gunfire with a man suspected in an earlier shooting. The suspect is dead.
Chester City Detective Steve Byrne is out of surgery and recovering well, according to the Delaware County District Attorney's Office.
"Our police officer is doing well. We all just were with him and talked to him. He is doing fine," District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said.
Police say Byrne spotted a black Ford Torus suspected in a drive-by shooting earlier that morning in Chester, along the 900 block of Pennell Street.
Stollsteimer says Byrne tried to stop the Torus near 15th and Arbor streets, but the driver fled, misjudged a turn, and crashed his car.
“The driver got out of his vehicle, shooting at the police officer. The police officer returned fire,” Stollsteimer said.
Police ran after the suspect, later identified as 40-year-old Toreese Armstrong, crossing Chester Creek and exchanging fire. They say Armstrong shot at the officer with the same 9mm browning semi-automatic gun he used in the drive-by shooting.
"The officer was wounded, and he critically wounded the person that was shooting at him," Stollsteimer said. The suspect later died.
Chester Mayor Stefan Roots condemned the acts of Armstrong.
“This is a sad day for the city of Chester. We do not like this type of crime,” Roots said. “I will say this to anyone who wants to challenge our police officers in the line of duty: Don’t. It turns into a tragedy like we’ve seen today.”