PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Testimony began Tuesday in the trial of a man accused of shooting six Philadelphia police officers during an eight-hour standoff in North Philadelphia’s Nicetown-Tioga neighborhood nearly six years ago.
Police said when they went to serve a warrant at a home near 15th Street and Erie Avenue on Aug. 14, 2019, they saw “activity” at another home two doors down. Per protocol, they went to secure the residence, which belonged to Maurice Hill.
A narcotics officer told jurors police used a battering ram and repeatedly announced themselves as they barged into his home, and that’s when Hill shot at the officers.
More officers arrived in response to the gunfire. A day care filled with children across the street was evacuated as bullets whizzed nearby.
In all, six officers were shot. Nearby homes were damaged during the barricade, and some residents were evacuated to safer areas. Traffic was gridlocked for hours.
The defense played a video of what led up to the warrant and said there was no illegal activity on the block. They also argued Hill was in fight-or-flight mode, as he had just come home from visiting his newborn daughter at the hospital and thought an intruder had entered the home. They also tried to zero in on why police burst into Hill’s home when they were serving a warrant at another home.
Hill, now 41, has been in prison since the standoff. He was coaxed out by District Attorney Larry Krasner, then-Police Commissioner Richard Ross and the former defense attorney — all of whom are on the witness list but won’t necessarily be called to trial.
Several other prosecutors who listened to the negotiations in real time are also on the list.
The trial has been delayed for years due to motions, hearings, mental health exams, defense requests and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 12 jurors — half men, half women — and three alternates were selected in about five hours on Monday. The trial is expected to last into next week.
Hill rejected a plea deal of 40 to 80 years in prison. He faces dozens of charges, including attempted murder, aggravated assault, assault on law enforcement, reckless endangerment, and gun charges.