Philadelphia Shooting: Police Finds Bullet Stuck in Hat After Getting Shot in Head During July 4 Attack

One of the two police officers who got wounded in a Monday night shooting incident near a Fourth of July event in Philadelphia noticed the bullet was still stuck in his hat.

The law enforcement officers, a 44-year-old member of the Montgomery County Bomb Unit and a 36-year-old Philadelphia Police Highway Patrol officer, sustained their gunshot injuries near the Welcome America Festival on the Parkway.

Photos of the highway patrol officer's hat reveal a bloodied picture inside with a bullet hole in its side from the Philadelphia Shooting. The image is from a memorial card for a recently deceased Philadelphia police chaplain, per Fox News.

It's a Miracle

Philadelphia Police Department Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said what happened to the bullet was a godsend.

"It is miraculous the fact that the round stopped in his hat. I think initially it went up the inside and hit his forehead, and then the round stopped in his hat," the commissioner said.

Authorities reported that the officer was in stable condition at Jefferson University Hospital. The other officer, who got shot in the right shoulder, was rushed to the same hospital.

According to Fox 29, the unnamed Philadelphia cops were discharged from the hospital about two hours later.

Shots were reportedly fired in the Fairmont Street-Art Museum vicinity, where people were present for several events, including the free 2022 Wawa Welcome America Concert featuring Jason Derulo on the final day of the holiday weekend.

The music had ended, and the fireworks had just started when the gunshots broke out shortly before 10 p.m., according to NBC Philadelphia.

Video clips of the shooting incident show significant police presence diverting people away from the scene.

In other videos, dozens of people could be seen fleeing the scene. Up to 100,000 people, according to estimates, attended the Fourth of July festivities.

Witnesses claimed that the incident led to chaos as spectators rushed in from the neighborhood.

Still No Suspect as of Present Reporting

According to an NBC News report, a SWAT squad responded to a man with a gun at a high-rise residential complex close to the museum, who turned out irrelevant to the shooting incident.

There are no known persons of interest, and no suspect has yet been taken into custody by the authorities.

When questioned by the media about the city's gun crisis, Mayor Jim Kenney answered straightforwardly, according to a report from 6 ABC.

"If I had the ability to take care of guns. I would. But the legislature won't let us. The U.S. Congress won't let us. The governor does the best he can. Our Attorney General does the best he can. But this is a gun country. It's crazy," he remarked.

Mayor Kenny added: "We're the most armed country in world history and we're one of the least safest. So, you know, until Americans decide that they want to give up the guns and give up the opportunity to get guns we're gonna have this problem."

Police advised visitors to avoid the area around the Fairmount Art Museum.

The Philadelphia July 4 Shooting occurred only a few hours after gunfire broke out during a parade in Illinois.

In Highland Park, a Chicago suburb, there were six fatalities and many more injuries. A person of interest is now under police custody.

Tags

Gun violence, Fourth of July Weekend