Six US police wounded in Philadelphia shooting

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Six police officers were wounded in a shooting in the US city of Philadelphia on Wednesday after reportedly responding to drug activity, a department spokesman said.

“SIX (6) PPD Officers shot – at area hospitals with nonlife-threatening injuries. Additional officers also receiving treatment for non-gunshot injuries,” Philadelphia police Sergeant Eric Gripp tweeted.

“Suspect is still firing,” Gripp wrote around 6:20 pm local time (22:20 GMT).

CBS News quoted police Captain Sekou Kinebrew as saying that the officers were originally responding to “narcotics activity” when the shooting began, sparking a major police response.

The incident comes after two mass shootings in the US earlier this month — one in Dayton and the other in El Paso — left a total of 31 people dead.

Despite rampant gun violence in the US, efforts to strengthen firearms regulations remain divisive in the country, where the powerful National Rifle Association works to block stricter rules.