a day ago
Man fatally shot by 2 Philadelphia police officers in Fairhill identified
Philadelphia police identified the 25-year-old man who was shot and killed by two officers in North Philly's Fairhill neighborhood in May.
Police identified the 25-year-old man shot at the intersection of Mutter and Somerset streets on May 21 as Bruce Harry Garcia. The two officers who fired their weapons were identified as Edward Lane and Matthew Galdo.
According to police, Lane and Galdo were in a marked Philadelphia police patrol car in full uniform just before 6:45 p.m. when they saw Garcia holding a black bag in the area of Front and Somerset streets.
Police said that Garcia fled on foot when Lane and Galdo attempted to stop him. He ran westbound on Somerset Street.
Lane and Galdo caught up to Garcia at the intersection of Mutter and Somerset streets, where a struggle ensued, according to police.
Police said Lane and Galdo tackled Garcia to the ground to prevent him from accessing a handgun in his bag. During the struggle, Garcia grabbed the gun and discharged it through the bag, police said.
Police said Lane and Galdo then both fired their weapons and struck Garcia in the chest area. Garcia then dropped the weapon and the black bag. Police didn't say if anything else was inside the bag besides the weapon. Garcia was pronounced dead at Temple University Hospital at 6:55 p.m., according to police.
Police said that Galdo and Lane were both wearing active body cameras. The cameras captured "portions of the incident," according to police, but they were "knocked off during the struggle." Police said other cameras from the scene depict the shooting, along with body camera video from another officer.
Police said that investigators believe that because Garcia's firearm was inside a bag at the time of discharging, it wasn't able to recoil properly. Because of this, police believe this may have led to a malfunction that caused the bullet to not eject from the chamber.
Lane, 32, has been with the Philadelphia Police Department for 11 years, while Galdo, 29, has been with the department for five years. Both of the officers sustained scrapes during the incident, but didn't require medical attention.
Both Lane and Galdo have been placed on administrative duty, per Philadelphia Police Department policy.
The shooting is under investigation.
