By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Three Philadelphia police officers were shot and wounded late Saturday, June 13, 2026, after a 57-year-old retired city firefighter, identified by family and law enforcement sources as Eric Franks, confronted officers near North 54th and Arlington streets in the Wynnefield section of West Philadelphia and opened fire.
- Officers had responded around 10:30 p.m. to reports of gunfire involving a vehicle on the block; Franks was not connected to that initial incident but approached and began arguing with four responding officers, according to Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel.
- Video of the encounter shows Franks pushing a sergeant before officers attempted to arrest him around 10:45 p.m.; Franks then broke free, drew a handgun from his waistband, and fired at officers in the street.
- Four officers returned fire; three — including the sergeant — were struck and transported to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center with gunshot wounds to the face, hip, and leg, according to Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. All three were reported in stable condition Sunday.
- Franks was struck during the exchange of gunfire and died at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital at 11 p.m.; the Philadelphia Police Department is investigating, and Franks’ family attorney has disputed the commissioner’s suggestion that the confrontation may have been premeditated.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Three Philadelphia police officers were shot and wounded late Saturday night after a retired city firefighter confronted them on a West Philadelphia block, pushed a sergeant, and then opened fire as officers attempted to place him under arrest, according to police officials and video of the encounter obtained by The Philadelphia Inquirer. The man was fatally shot by officers who returned fire.
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said officers responded around 10:30 p.m. Saturday to reports of gunfire involving a car near North 54th and Arlington streets in the Wynnefield section of West Philadelphia. While officers were on the block, a 57-year-old man — identified by family members and law enforcement sources as Eric Franks — approached four officers and began arguing with them. Video of the encounter shows Franks being restrained by another individual before pushing a sergeant. Bethel said officers repeatedly told Franks to “stand down” before attempting to detain him around 10:45 p.m.
According to the video, Franks broke free from officers during the attempted arrest, pulled a handgun from his waistband, and began firing at officers in the street, prompting officers and bystanders to scatter and take cover behind parked vehicles. Four officers returned fire. Three officers, including the sergeant, were struck by gunfire and transported to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said one officer was shot in the face, one in the hip, and another in the leg. All three were reported in stable condition Sunday. Officials have not publicly released the officers’ names, though Bethel said the sergeant has eight years with the department and the two other officers have two and eight years of service, respectively, and are ages 43 and 30.
Franks was struck during the exchange and collapsed on the sidewalk, according to the video. He was pronounced dead at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital at 11 p.m. Bethel said Franks was not connected to the original incident that prompted the police response. “Why he elected to come into that scene and engage the officers — whether this was premeditated — we will walk through that process to see,” Bethel said. “But you don’t come to a situation like that … to engage the officer.”
James Funt, an attorney representing Franks’ family, disputed the commissioner’s characterization. Funt said Franks was a community activist who had previously met with Philadelphia City Councilmember Curtis Jones and police regarding rising drug-related crime in the neighborhood. According to Funt, Franks was managing a birthday party at his event space business on the same block Saturday night when his son told him a vehicle had been shot at; Franks went to the corner to see if he could assist. Funt said Franks was a former U.S. Marine, a firearms instructor, and believed to be licensed to carry a concealed weapon. “He is not someone who would try to be an initial aggressor,” Funt said, adding that a full investigation and review of additional video is warranted.
City payroll records confirm Franks retired from the Philadelphia Fire Department in September 2025 after nearly 20 years of service. Police continued processing the scene Sunday, recovering multiple spent shell casings from a nearby storm drain. The Philadelphia Police Department’s investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.