Two police officers were shot in Philadelphia during the city’s massive Fourth of July fireworks show, transforming a festive holiday event into a chaotic scene as revelers stampeded out of fear of an active shooter situation while the colorful pyrotechnic display exploded across the sky.
The officers were hit while on duty in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum, setting off the pandemonium that capped off a day of partying at the Wawa Welcome America Party, the first time that the event has been held since the COVID outbreak.
Shortly after the fireworks began, shots rang out, injuring the two officers and panicking the crowd on a day when nerves were on edge across the nation after a deadly mass shooting in Illinois where a gunman opened fire on a crowd at a Highland Park holiday parade.
Video posted to social media showed the surreal scene as people fled in fear of their lives near the Ben Franklin Parkway with fireworks going off in the background.
Scene from Ben Franklin Parkway during reported active shooter tonight during firework show #philly #benfranklinparkway #bfp @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/buXQ6bwbed
— Alex Dzomba (@AlexDzomba) July 5, 2022
CHAOS ON THE PARKWAY: Viewer video shows chaos erupting as crowds of people flee the Ben Franklin Parkway, where two police officers were shot during Fourth of July celebrations. https://t.co/nV54amQyDB pic.twitter.com/Yc0dylZ8iF
— CBS Philly (@CBSPhilly) July 5, 2022
Witness Blake Miller who is from South Jersey described the scene to CBS Philadelphia. “The barricades were being knocked over. It was just a mad dash of people running from every direction,” he said. “From this experience that happened today, I will no longer be going to crowded big areas, especially during the Fourth. I will never take my children anywhere to a crowded event like that.”
“We all just turn around and look and see people are running toward us,” said another witness, Regina Hicks, who was near the stage with her nephew to watch the show. “They told us that they were shooting.”
The officers who both suffered graze wounds – one in the forehead and one in the shoulder – were treated and released.
A picture of the bullet in the hat of the officer who was hit in the forehead was posted to Twitter by a CBS Philadelphia reporter.
Speechless.
The Philadelphia Police Highway Patrol officer grazed in the head by a bullet, was wearing this hat with the prayer card of the recently deceased chaplain of the force, Father Steve Wetzel. An “angel on his shoulder,” said police union president. @CBSPhilly pic.twitter.com/DqReITB0ZJ— Joe Holden (@JoeHoldenCBS3) July 5, 2022
Philadelphia’s Democrat Mayor Jim Kenney predictably blamed it on the Second Amendment in a tone-deaf rant on a day when Americans celebrated casting off the yoke of tyranny of Britain’s King George, telling reporters, “this is a gun country, it’s crazy. We’re the most armed country in world history and we’re one of the least safest so until Americans decide that they want to give up the guns, and give up the opportunity to get guns, we’re gonna have this problem.”
"This is a gun country. It's crazy. We're the most armed country in world history and we're one of the least safest," Mayor Jim Kenney said after two police officers were shot in the area of the Ben Franklin Parkway during Fourth of July festivities. https://t.co/nV54amQyDB pic.twitter.com/GGnB6AI7lL
— CBS Philly (@CBSPhilly) July 5, 2022
Kenney also condemned the Supreme Court during a press conference. “It was a chilled back day, beautiful weather. But we live in America where we have the Second Amendment and we have the Supreme Court of the United States telling everybody they can carry a gun wherever they want,” he said.
“I was in Canada two weeks ago and never thought about a gun,” Kenney said, expressing admiration for Justin Trudeau’s fascist dictatorship north of the border. “The only people I knew who had guns in Canada were police officers.”
“That’s the way it should be here,” he added.
(Video: YouTube/CBS Philadelphia)
The City of Brotherly Love wasn’t the only place where things got ugly over the weekend, as there was more mayhem in Chicago where a crowd attacked police in the Loop as fireworks went off, another scene from the dystopian hellscape of Democrat Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
BREAKING: Crowd of people in the Loop attack Chicago police after some civilian cars do donuts in an intersection. Crowd shoots fireworks and physical hit CPD vehicles. pic.twitter.com/cDTqExvgLz
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) July 4, 2022
In another chaotic scene, there was a disturbance in Orlando, a city that drew harsh criticism after it trashed America in an announcement of the fireworks show. It is unknown what set off the panic.
Hundreds of people at firework show at Lake Eola suddenly start to flee down the street. Police rushing the other way. Its unclear what has happened. @fox35orlando pic.twitter.com/87GGDmTePD
— Connor Hansen FOX 35 (@Connor_R_Hansen) July 5, 2022
The Orlando Police said that there was no shooting in the area.
At this time, it appears that a noise during the fireworks show confused some spectators, causing the reaction. No serious injuries have been reported. Only minor injuries suffered by some spectators who fell during the commotion.
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) July 5, 2022
“At this time, it appears that a noise during the fireworks show confused some spectators, causing the reaction. No serious injuries have been reported. Only minor injuries suffered by some spectators who fell during the commotion,” the department announced via Twitter.
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