PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Police say SWAT officers shot and killed an armed man who fired shots out of a pickup truck in Northeast Philadelphia Wednesday morning, leaving part of Roosevelt Boulevard blocked off to traffic for hours.
Around 5 a.m. in Rhawnhurst, patrol officers responded to the area of Roosevelt Boulevard and Borbeck Avenue for an initial report of a car crash. They found a Dodge pickup truck partially on the sidewalk near the Gary Barbera car dealership. Officers asked if the driver needed help, but he declined.
However, when the police officers started to leave, they heard gunshots.
They called for backup, including SWAT officers, and declared it a barricade situation.
According to preliminary information, the man inside the truck fired shots in the direction of officers and also threw items from his truck at them.
Aerial footage showed SWAT teams pinning the truck to the curb as officers slowly approached it with shields and guns drawn.
SWAT officers eventually shot and killed the driver. He was identified as 73-year-old Lawrence Packard of Jenkintown.
No one else was injured. Police said they were able to block off this section of the boulevard in time so no drivers or pedestrians were in danger.
The outer southbound lanes of Roosevelt Boulevard was closed for about six hours.
A motive is currently unknown. Police are looking into whether there was a connection to the car dealership. An investigation is ongoing.
Both SWAT officers who fired at Packard — 42-year-old Lt. William Schmid, a 21-year veteran, and 38-year-old Officer Patrick Saba, a 17-year veteran — were put on administrative leave while internal affairs investigates, as is police protocol.
