January 1, Radical Crime Wave Hits Heartland Heroes

Wyatt’s Take

• Two brave Philadelphia officers were ambushed and shot 15 times combined while simply answering a call for help.
• The suspect hid in a tree with stolen police weapons after unleashing a hail of bullets on the responding officers.
• American families are left praying for fathers who risk everything to protect their communities.

Two Philadelphia police officers are in the hospital after being shot early Saturday while responding to a call in the western part of the city.

One officer, a 40-year-old who has two children, was shot three times, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said during a news conference.

The other officer, a 33-year-old who has five children, was shot 12 times, Bethel said.

“I am so damn proud of the men and women who serve in this department. Consistently, they go into danger, and they give their lives for this job,” Bethel told reporters. “And so we ask for those prayers, and we ask for you to support our men and women out there, and what they give for this profession.”

Just after 12:20 a.m., the officers were dispatched to 140 North 52nd Street following a report of a man with a gun on a porch, Bethel said.

About 30 minutes later, the officers arrived at the address and came under “significant gunfire” once they were on the porch.

Shortly after shots were fired, Bethel said additional officers and a SWAT team found the original responding officers on the porch with gunshot wounds.

The suspect fired at two additional officers, Bethel said, but the SWAT team was able to locate the man in a tree and take him into custody.

The officers who were shot were taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center for surgery. Their conditions are not clear.

“We are praying now that our officers make it through this terrible situation,” Bethel said.

The suspect reportedly ambushed the officers by running down an alley and shooting at them, local outlet WPVI reported.

The suspect, whose name has not yet been released, was found with two handguns and a shotgun, Bethel said. One of the handguns belonged to one of the officers who had been shot.

The Philadelphia Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Wyatt Matters

Working families across America count on local police to keep their streets safe, and these officers deserve every prayer and every ounce of support as they fight to return home to their children.