Last updated: 4 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Promising transparency in their ongoing investigation, top Philadelphia law enforcement officials released new surveillance footage of a fatal shooting inside a Fairhill corner store on Friday, Jan. 26. Investigators said an officer shot and killed a man and another officer was shot in the leg during the struggle.
It all started around 8:50 p.m. at Cambria and Mascher streets. The five-minute video shows several angles inside the narrow corner store.
In the newly released video, two officers are seen walking into the store with their flashlights out. It looks like one of the officers saw something on 28-year-old Alexander Spencer and asked to see his pockets. As the officer tries to search him, a struggle ensues between the cops and Spencer.
They pull him to the ground and as they struggle, one of the officers is shot in the leg, the video shows. The officer was in a kneeling position; the bullet entered through his thigh and came out through his calf.
Police noted that both officers’ guns were holstered when the one cop was shot.
Police said Spencer’s gun was tossed off to the side. The other officer then fired his weapon into Spencer’s back. Philadelphia police have identified the firing officer as 33-year-old Raheem Hall, a six-year veteran of the Department.
Spencer died at the hospital a short time later.
Police and law enforcement officials met with Spencer’s family before releasing the video on Tuesday. They said the family wanted it to be released to the public.
The officers’ body-worn cameras were not on at the time of the shooting.
Watch: footage released by police
Warning: The content is graphic in nature. Viewer discretion is advised.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, District Attorney Larry Krasner and other top officials spoke publicly about the shooting for the first time since witness video of the incident made the rounds on social media. That footage, however, appears to only show part of the incident.
According to the initial account from Philadelphia police, Spencer shot the officer and the officer’s partner fired back at Spencer. Spencer’s family, however, disputed that account. They believe Spencer was at a gambling machine in the store when the officers provoked him.
Police are also looking for Jose Quinones-Mendez as part of the investigation. Investigators said the 42-year-old took Spencer’s gun after the shooting and ran away. The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
The injured officer was released from the hospital on Monday. The striking officer is on administrative leave, as is Police Department protocol. Officials emphasize that the Officer-Involved Shooting Unit is still in the early stages of its ongoing investigation.
Both Bethel and Krasner said officials released the video to acknowledge the public’s concerns and tamp down the “rumors and untruths” circulating this incident.
They said this is a very violent section of the city where shootings and homicides have happened in the past. Within 50 yards of this corner store, Bethel said there have been five homicides, 23 robberies and more than 200 drug arrests in the last three years. Fourteen illegal guns were also taken off the street.
They asked for patience and pledged transparency in the coming weeks as more information is released. Officials, however, did not take any questions from reporters after the press conference.