LOCAL POLICE OFFICER KILLED IN 22ND DISTRICT
Robert Wilson III was shot and killed in a GameStop on Lehigh Avenue while picking up a birthday gift for his son on Thursday night, the Inquirer reported.
Wilson, a police officer in the police department’s 22nd district, was performing a security check and was at the store counter when two brothers entered and declared that they were robbing the establishment.
When the 30-year-old officer drew his gun, shots were soon fired by Ramone Williams and Carlton Hipps, the two individuals police identified as the perpetrators on Thursday.
In the ensuing gunfight that lasted 30 seconds, more than 50 shots were fired. Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said in a press conference on Friday that Wilson “redefined what being a hero is all about.”
“He stepped away from the counter, there were civilians there … he stepped away so that the shots weren’t going directly at them,” Ramsey said at the press conference. “He was actually being hit during the exchange of gunfire but he continued to fight, continued to shoot.”
Williams and Hipps were both charged with first-degree murder, along with attempted murder for attacking Wilson’s partner, Officer Damien Stevenson.
Captain Robert Glenn, who was Wilson’s commanding officer, said the eight-year veteran always volunteered for various tasks in order to make his community safer.
“If there was a crime pattern, he would be the first to say, ‘Let me and my partner be part of the solution,’” Glenn said.
Wilson left behind two sons and a grandmother. The older son – who Wilson was buying a gift for – turned 10 on Monday.
-Steve Bohnel
STUDENT ROBBED ON 15TH AND DIAMOND STREETS
Temple Police apprehended a male in connection with an armed robbery of two students on 15th and Diamond streets Wednesday night.
The suspect was found on 17th and Diamond streets, carrying a pellet gun, Charlie Leone, executive director of campus safety services said in an email.
Around 8 p.m., two students reported that they had been robbed at gunpoint, Leone said.
A male approached the students and asked them both for their belongings, Leone said. One student refused and the suspect displayed a handgun. The students said they believe that the gun was a pellet gun.
A wallet and a cellphone were taken before the suspect fled on foot southbound on 15th Street from the location, Leone said.
No injuries were reported.
The suspect was described as thin, approximately 6 feet tall, with a mustache. He was wearing a baggy blue and gray hooded windbreaker and dark baggy clothing.
-Lian Parsons
TEMPLE TO HOST DEMOCRATIC MAYORAL DEBATE
A Democratic mayoral debate will be held on May 4 on Main Campus at Temple’s Performing Arts Center prior to the primary elections on May 14, philly.com reported.
The debate is part of “The Next Mayor,” a collaborative project created to inform voters about the mayoral race, which concludes with the general election on Nov. 3.
Partners in the project include Temple’s Center for Public Interest Journalism, the Inquirer, Daily News, WHYY/Newsworks, The Committee of Seventy and WURD Radio.
Daily News Editorial Page Editor Sandra Shea and WHYY Senior Reporter Dave Davies will co-moderate the debate, which will cover several issues tied to the race, including education, taxes, economic development and several others.
“Philadelphia Media Network is delighted to host this important debate just two weeks before the primary,” said Stan Wischnowski, the company’s vice president of news operations in the press release. “The format will provide voters a final chance to hear directly from the candidates on the issues most critical to the city’s future.”
-Steve Bohnel
KITCH NAMED CHAIR OF JOURNALISM DEPARTMENT
The journalism department now has a new permanent chair after the departure of Dr. Andrew Mendelson for the City University of New York.
Carolyn Kitch, a professor of Journalism, was named department chair last week after serving as interim chair during this semester.
-Joe Brandt
