Nicholas Glenn. (Philadelphia Police)
Nicholas Glenn was identified as the 25-year-old gunman who shot six people, including a police sergeant ambushed in her squad car, in a deadly rampage through the streets of Philadelphia, according to NBC Philadelphia.
The gunman – who police said acted alone – had penned a letter expressing his hatred for police officers, said Philadelphia Commissioner Richard Ross.
The chaotic sequence of events started with the gunman’s ambush and attempted assassination of police Sergeant Sylvia Young in her squad car, and continued throughout the Philly streets before ending in the gunman’s own death during a gun battle.
Along the way, he also shot four civilians, killing a 25-year-old woman sitting in a car, shooting her seven times in the torso after targeting her randomly, said CNN.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Gunman Left Behind a Letter Expressing Hatred Toward Law Enforcement & a Parole Officer
Police radio of the moments after Sgt. Young was shot and as officers cornered the gunman. t.co/KgVuE4YU4d
The police commissioner said police found the letter at the scene. “Commissioner Ross said the letter contained ramblings about his hatred for police officers and named a specific parole officer as a target,” said NBC 10.
The police spokesman said on Twitter that Glenn was “driven by hatred.”
1 @PhillyPolice Sgt, 1 Penn Officer, 4 innocent civilians shot by an individual driven by hatred. #senseless
Pray for them & their families
Glenn was from West Philadelphia, according to Philly.com.
ABC 6 said the note said “doomed people” on the envelope and was rambling.
2. The Gunman Ambushed Sergeant Young & Shot at Her Fifteen Times
Sergeant Sylvia Young. (Facebook/Sylvia Young)
Ross said in a news conference that Sergeant Young was ambushed as she sat in her squad car by the lone gunman, who fired 15 rounds into her car. She survived in part because she was wearing a bulletproof vest, he said, declaring her “very, very fortunate.”
The commissioner said that Glenn didn’t talk as he opened fire on Young; he just started firing… and firing.
Nicholas Glenn is alleged shooter in ambush last night. In 2009, he was also involved in abduction and gang rape.
Ross said that authorities believe that Glenn harbored negative “feelings about police departments and police officers in general and probation officers” but there was no evidence at this point to suggest religious or terrorist motivation, according to CNN.
3. Glenn Has a Lengthy Criminal Record & Was Charged in a Gang-Related Rape but Charges Were Dropped, Reports Say
Philly.com says that Glenn, according to court records, had a criminal record that consists of Philadelphia drug-possession convictions.
“He had also been arrested and charged in connection with a gang-related rape in a November 2009 incident, but these charges were later dropped,” said the newspaper, adding that, in that incident, a woman alleged she was raped by a group of men who attacked her while she got takeout food.
According to Fox29, Glenn had 16 prior arrests.
In the September 16 rampage, Glenn left many victims in his wake. ABC 6 said “the gunman was carrying at least three magazines and multiple live rounds.”
After ambushing Sergeant Young, the shooter took off and police pursued him, Ross said. At that point, the gunman fired randomly through the open door of a bar, striking a security guard, said the police commissioner in the news conference.
The gunman then grabbed a woman and used her as a human shield before also shooting her, said Ross. At one point, said Philly.com, he also hid inside a Toyota dealership, where he was spotted by the cleaning crew but didn’t see them.
4. The Shooter Was a Former Foster Child
As a child, said Philly.com, Glenn ended up in foster care with his siblings because of his mother’s drug addiction.
Officer Miller was shot in an alley as he engaged in a gun battle with the suspect, Ross said in the news conference. He had responded to a call for assist; a retired Philadelphia police officer, he is currently employed with the University of Pennsylvania Police Department, Ross said.
Miller, as with Young, was expected to survive and was well enough to crack jokes later in the hospital, police said in the news conference.
5. Four American Police Officer Were Shot in Two Different Cities on September 16
Fort Worth police address the media at the hospital. (Facebook/Fort Worth Police)
The shooting in Philadelphia came just hours after two police officers were shot in an unrelated incident in Fort Worth, Texas. Both of those officers are also expected to survive.
In the Fort Worth incident, the officers were shot when they responded to a 911 call and found a dead body in a house. They then found a gunman in a shed, and exchanged gunfire. That gunman is also dead.
In January, a gunman ambushed an officer sitting in a squad car in Philadelphia, shooting and wounding him; CNN said he had pledged allegiance to ISIS.
