The man allegedly involved in a shooting that left six Philadelphia police officers hurt is in custody. The suspect surrendered overnight after an hours-long standoff on the north side of town. Police Commissioner Richard Ross says the situation was extremely tense. "It was nothing short of astounding that in such a confined space that we didn't have more of a tragedy than we did," Ross says. The standoff began Wednesday afternoon when police served a warrant related to a drug investigation. They were searching a house when they came under fire. At one point, two officers were trapped inside the house with the armed suspect, but they were eventually rescued, along with several hostages. All six officers who were shot have been released from the hospital.
Gov. Tom Wolf is postponing signing an executive order on gun control following the shooting of six police officers in Philadelphia. Wolf had planned to sign the order today that intends to strengthen the gun control efforts of executive branch agencies through coordination efforts. A spokesperson for the governor says the event will be held at a date to be determined.
The trial of accused ex-South Whitehall Township police officer Jonathan Roselle has been pushed back. A Lehigh County judge, at the request of Roselle's defense team, has agreed to reschedule his trial to the week of March 9, 2020. Roselle is charged with shooting and killing Joseph Santos last July on Hamilton Boulevard near Dorney Park. Roselle was called to the scene after Santos ran in and out of traffic and jumped on passing cars. He killed Santos after a brief encounter in which Santos ignored Roselle's commands to not approach him.
A man wanted in connection to the assault of his girlfriend and for growing pot in his home is facing charges. Police arrested James Young Wednesday on drug-related charges before releasing him on bail of $50,000. Young is also accused of choking and striking his girlfriend in his Jones Boulevard home back on August 1st.
An Allentown facility for children with health issues is losing its license following the death of a young patient. Firefly Pediatric Services Home for Kids is being closed by the state due to allegations that staffers neglected to properly respond to alarms indicating 14-year-old patient Giovanni Rios was losing oxygen. The state Department of Human Services claims Rios didn't receive attention for about 20 minutes and he went into cardiac arrest. The facility is further accused of not notifying the state about his death for almost a month, despite regulations that require child residential facilities to report patient deaths in less than 24 hours.
A Connecticut man is facing charges in Northampton County for allegedly punching a Bethlehem police officer during a drunken outburst. Police were called to the Wind Creek Casino while Eric Shehu was being escorted out by security. Police say when they tried to arrest Shehu for public drunkenness, he punched an officer before trying to grab the officer's radio, bulletproof vest and other items. The officer then managed to subdue Shehu with a stun gun before taking him into custody. Shehu was arraigned Wednesday and sent to the county jail.
The State Police Fire Marshal is ruling a blaze that broke out at a Schuylkill County Salvation Army center was an act of arson. Firefighters responded to the Tamaqua Salvation Army back on May 12th to find flames that they quickly extinguished, but not before food and clothing donations were destroyed. An investigation has revealed the fire started at two points of origin with a rear storeroom, leading to a determination of arson.