Off-duty Philadelphia officer shot, 2nd person killed in robbery attempt, union leader says

Off-duty police officer shot in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — An off-duty Philadelphia police officer was shot in the leg Wednesday evening in an apparent robbery attempt, police said, and a second victim was killed in the shooting.

Officer Martin Campbell, 23, was visiting friends in the Hunting Park section of Philadelphia when he was shot, Philadelphia police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore said. Campbell, who has been on the force for two years, had his service weapon with him at the time but did not fire it.

Police did not immediately release the name of the person who died. A third person walking with them was not injured, Vanore said. Two men were seen running from the scene.

Campbell was listed in stable condition at Temple University Hospital a few hours after the shooting, Vanore said.

Two men were arrested late Wednesday, one of whom was shot by police and being treated at the same hospital as Campbell. They were not immediately charged.

“This is one more example of the kind of violence that takes place all too often” in Philadelphia, Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey told reporters outside the hospital, joining Mayor Michael Nutter in condemning the shooting.

At least seven Philadelphia police officers have been killed in the line of duty since mid-2006.

As of Tuesday, with the year almost over, the city of 1.4 million people had 302 homicides in 2009, down more than 22 percent from 2007, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.