Philadelphia police capture man accused of taking suspect's weapon after shooting
The shooting occurred in Fairhill when officers approached a group of men inside a store
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- Jose Quinones-Mendez, 42, was arrested in Philadelphia on Wednesday night for allegedly taking a gun from the scene of a shooting inside a store.
- He faces charges of tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice and a weapon offense.
- The shooting occurred on Jan. 26 in Philadelphia's Fairhill section when two officers approached a group of men inside a store during a routine patrol.
Authorities have captured a man accused of taking a gun last week from the scene of a shooting inside a Philadelphia store that left a man dead and a police officer wounded.
Jose Quinones-Mendez, 42, was arrested Wednesday night in Philadelphia, police said. He's charged with tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice and a weapon offense. Court records were unavailable for these charges Thursday and authorities did not know if Quinones-Mendez has retained an attorney.
The shooting occurred Jan. 26, when two officers on routine patrol in the city’s Fairhill section entered the store and approached a group of men, authorities have said. Security video released by police shows two officers searching men for weapons before they wrestled 28-year-old Alexander Spencer to the ground and two shots rang out in a five-second span.
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PHILADELPHIA POLICE ID MAN ACCUSED OF TAKING SUSPECT'S WEAPON AFTER OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING
Authorities have said a shot fired by Spencer hit an officer in the leg, prompting the other officer to return fire, wounding Spencer. He was taken to a hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later. The wounded officer was treated at a hospital and the injury was not considered life-threatening.
Police investigate the scene where a Philadelphia police officer was shot just before 9 p.m. on Jan. 26, 2024. Authorities have captured a man accused of taking a gun from the scene of the shooting. (Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
Spencer's gun appeared to kick out from the scrum, and was later grabbed by a man authorities say was Quinones-Mendez, who is seen on video recording the scuffle with a cellphone. He soon fled the store, and the two officers apparently did not notice at the time that the gun had slid away during the scuffle.
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PHILADELPHIA POLICE REVIEWING SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEO OF OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTOUT
The two officers had their weapons holstered before the scuffle ensued, authorities said.