March 13, 2020
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
A police officer was shot and killed in the Frankford section of the city on Friday morning. Cpl. James O'Conner, 46, was executing a murder warrant when the shooting occurred on the 1600 Block of Bridge Street.
A Philadelphia police officer was shot and killed on Friday morning in the Frankford section of the city.
Cpl. James O'Conner, 46, who served as a SWAT team member for 15 years, was executing a murder warrant to Hassan Elliott, 21, on the 1600 Block of Bridge St. when the shooting occurred around 5:50 a.m. He was shot in the shoulder, just above his bulletproof vest.
O'Conner was taken to Temple University Hospital where he later died. He is survived by his wife and two children. His son is a police officer in the Ninth District and his daughter is a member of the U.S. Air Force, according to 6ABC.
Mayor Jim Kenney released a statement mourning O'Conner's death.
“I am grief-stricken to learn of the tragic death of Philadelphia Police Corporal James O’Connor. Today, like every day, he demonstrated the ultimate form of heroism: putting out his uniform, leaving his family and carrying out his sworn duty to protect the residents of this city. I share my deepest condolences with those who knew and loved Corporal O’Connor. I ask all Philadelphians to keep his family, and all members of the Police Department, in your prayers at this difficult time.”
The Philadelphia Police Department posted a statement to social media, noting its officers "stand with his family, friends, and everyone impacted by this senseless tragedy."
We are devastated to report the passing of PPD SWAT Officer Cpl. James O’Connor. Cpl. O'Connor, a married father of 2,was shot and killed this morning while serving a warrant on a homicide suspect. We stand with his family, friends, and everyone impacted by this senseless tragedy pic.twitter.com/gkfvdn9zNC
— Philadelphia Police (@PhillyPolice) March 13, 2020
Corporal James O’Connor was never without a smile. He never had a bad day or a bad word for anyone. He was a great husband, father, grandfather, cop, supervisor and operator. We cannot even begin to imagine PPD SWAT without the Corp. It is an honor to have worked alongside him. pic.twitter.com/oP4qPg61vI
— Joe Sullivan (@Joe_p_Sullivan) March 13, 2020
Two other people were injured in the shooting. One man, 38, was taken to Einstein Medical Center after being shot in the leg, according to CBS3. Another individual was taken to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital after being shot twice in the abdomen and once in the thigh.
Prior to the shooting on Friday, Elliott faced charges of murder and robbery that stemmed from an incident in March of 2019. He is now in custody and will face additional charges related to the shooting, according to District Attorney Larry Krasner.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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