Updated on May 8, 11:25 a.m.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia police officer was taken to the hospital after officials said he was hit by a bullet under his vest while trying to break up a fight outside Overbrook High School on Wednesday.
Authorities said it was around 2:45 p.m. when officers called for backup while dealing with kids fighting outside the school. However, kids involved called for reinforcements of their own, according to officials: a 30-year-old man with a gun.
Police said he fired a shot at the ground, and the bullet bounced up and hit a 26-year-old rookie officer from the 19th District under his bulletproof vest. At first, he didn’t know he’d been shot, but once it became clear, he was rushed to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center for surgery.
As of Thursday morning, his condition is stable.
Commissioner Kevin Bethel commended his officers for their quick response.
"I’m proud to be here talking about my officer up there and all these officers standing behind me. We give our lives," he said, while also appearing livid at the alleged actions of the suspect.
"When you are an adult, you’re supposed to know better. You’re supposed to be the one who has to come in there to de-escalate, not escalate," said Bethel, "so when you have an adult with a weapon that could easily kill my officers, it makes absolutely no sense."
The officer has been on the force just over a year and was transferred to the 19th District in March. The suspect, later identified as Dachan Seay, is in police custody.
According to authorities, Seay should not have been armed in the first place. He has a criminal record — assault and retail theft charges, as well as drug and gun charges in Florida.
Seay is now charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and weapons offenses.
In a letter sent to the school community, Overbrook High principal Julian Graham condemned the violence and said the school is cooperating with police in their investigation.
“Violence is never an acceptable means to conflict resolution,” he wrote. “We echo the District’s commitment to teaching and reinforcing appropriate conflict resolution skills to our students and encourage students to seek solutions from a caring adult in our building if they need support.”
The incident happened hours after an event paying tribute to fallen officers and their families at the Living Flame Memorial in Center City. Mayor Cherelle Parker, who spoke to officers and the media in front of the hospital, was also present at the earlier event.
"They leave their homes before their shifts, they kiss their loved ones goodbye and they never know if they are coming home," she said. "Sometimes, it can be too easy to take for granted the sacrifice that the men and women who put their lives on the line on a daily basis for us make every day."
Officials heightened the security presence at the school on Thursday.