Investigators are working to reconstruct an early morning shooting that killed an off-duty Philadelphia officer and critically wounded another man.
PHILADELPHIA — Detectives were searching for surveillance footage and interviewing potential witnesses Sunday as they investigated a shooting outside an Eastwick lounge that killed an off-duty Philadelphia police officer and left another man critically wounded.
The shooting happened shortly before 4 a.m. Aug. 16 near Elmwood Avenue and South 73rd Street. Police said responding officers found two wounded men outside an after-hours lounge. One was a 29-year-old off-duty Philadelphia officer assigned to the 12th District. The other was a 35-year-old man whose identity had not been released.
The officer was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in extremely critical condition and later died. Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said the officer had suffered a catastrophic wound. Officials had not released the officer’s name Sunday morning while relatives were being notified.
The investigation remained focused on determining what happened immediately before shots were fired. Detectives were canvassing the area for people who may have seen the shooting and were seeking footage from security cameras along the street. Police had not announced a motive or identified anyone suspected of firing the fatal shots.
Investigators recovered a gun at the scene, authorities said, but its role in the shooting remained unclear. Police had not publicly determined whether it belonged to the off-duty officer. Authorities also said the officer had not fired his weapon, leaving detectives to examine physical evidence and video as they worked to establish who opened fire.
The 35-year-old victim was taken to the same hospital and remained in critical condition. Authorities had not disclosed why the two men were outside the lounge at the same time or whether they knew each other. Those unanswered questions were among the issues investigators were attempting to resolve through interviews and surveillance footage.
Police were initially alerted after someone flagged down an officer, according to reports from the scene. The responding officer then found the two shooting victims outside the business. The discovery led to a major police response in the neighborhood as investigators secured the area and began collecting evidence.
A separate police presence formed outside Penn Presbyterian Medical Center as word spread that the wounded officer had died. Officers gathered near the emergency department while officials prepared to notify the officer’s family and continue the homicide investigation.
Bethel said investigators were confident they would identify those responsible and asked anyone with information to come forward. As of Sunday morning, no suspect in the shooting had been reported in custody, and detectives continued reviewing evidence from the Eastwick scene.
Author note: Last updated August 16, 2026.