The 29-year-old officer was a two-year department veteran, while a second man remained critically injured after the early Sunday gunfire.
PHILADELPHIA — A 29-year-old off-duty Philadelphia police officer was killed in a double shooting outside an after-hours lounge in the city’s Eastwick neighborhood early Sunday, while another man was critically wounded, police said.
Officers responded shortly before 4 a.m. Aug. 16 to the area of Elmwood Avenue and South 73rd Street after gunfire was reported. Police found the off-duty officer and a 35-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds outside the lounge. Both were taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where the officer later died. The second man remained in critical condition.
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said the officer, whose name had not been released pending notification of relatives, was a two-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department assigned to the 12th District. The officer had initially been described as being in extremely critical condition after suffering what Bethel called a catastrophic wound.
Investigators had not announced an arrest in the shooting by Sunday morning. Detectives were canvassing the area, interviewing people who had been near the lounge and seeking surveillance footage that could help establish what happened before the gunfire. Police had not publicly identified a suspected shooter or announced a possible motive.
Authorities recovered a firearm at the scene, but police had not determined publicly whether the weapon belonged to the off-duty officer or how it was connected to the shooting. Police also said the officer had not fired his weapon. Investigators were working to determine the sequence of events and who fired the shots.
The second shooting victim was described by police as a 35-year-old man. His name was not immediately released. Early reports differed on the number of times he had been struck, but authorities consistently described his condition as critical. No further information about his relationship, if any, to the officer was immediately available.
A large police presence gathered both at the shooting scene and outside Penn Presbyterian Medical Center after the officer was taken there. Officers and others assembled near the hospital’s emergency department as the department dealt with the death of one of its members.
Bethel asked the community to keep the officer’s relatives in their thoughts and urged anyone with information to contact investigators. Police said the case is being treated as a homicide investigation and that detectives were continuing to collect video, physical evidence and witness accounts.
As of Sunday morning, the officer’s identity remained withheld while officials worked to notify his family. Police had not announced any arrests or disclosed what investigators believe led to the shooting.
Author note: Last updated August 16, 2026.