by Anthony Hennen
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw expressed frustration Thursday about rising violence after a fellow city officer was shot the day before.
“How many times do I have to say enough is enough? It is NOT our job to become martyrs,” she tweeted. “Attacks against our brave officers – and the people we serve – will not be tolerated. Those who seek to do harm can expect that PPD will fervently pursue all appropriate avenues of justice.”
Outlaw’s comments come after Officer Giovanni Maysonet was shot during a traffic stop in West Philadelphia while trying to detain a passenger that had fled the vehicle.
Maysonet “sustained a non-perforating gunshot impact to his bulletproof vest in the chest area and a perforating gunshot wound through his stomach/abdomen area which exited through his back,” according to a Philadelphia Police Department news release. Police sources told Fox 29 that Maysonet’s bulletproof vest likely saved his life.
Maysonet was upgraded to stable condition, the department said Thursday.
On Thursday, police arrested Eric Haynes and charged him with homicide, aggravated assault, a Violation of the Uniform Firearms Act, and “related offenses,” according to the release.
Philadelphia had a record number of homicides in 2021 — 562 people killed in the city. Though that number fell to 516 in 2022, both figures are significantly higher than the 277 murders in the city in 2016.
So far in 2023, 45 people have been killed in the city, a 15% decline from the same time last year.
Violent crime in the city has been central to the city’s mayoral election this year. Candidate forums have already focused on gun violence, with discussions around more funding for police, returning to some controversial policies such as stop-and-frisk, and bringing in new leadership for the police department.
Philadelphia isn’t alone in facing more deadly violence on its streets. Pittsburgh saw a 25% rise in killings in 2022 compared to 2021, which some have blamed on a culture of gun violence becoming accepted.
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Anthony Hennen is a reporter for The Center Square. Previously, he worked for Philadelphia Weekly and the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. He is managing editor of Expatalachians, a journalism project focused on the Appalachian region.
Photo “Danielle Outlaw” by Philadelphia Police Department. Background Photo “Philadelphia Police” by Zuzu. CC BY-SA 3.0.
