Philadelphia police shot and killed a dirt bike rider in Fairhill on Saturday

More than 24 hours after a Philadelphia police officer shot and critically injured a man on a dirt bike who he allegedly pointed a gun at officers, no further details were available from police or people familiar with the man.

The man, whose name, age and background were not disclosed by police, was last seen in critical condition on Saturday after being shot twice in the Fairhill neighborhood on Saturday afternoon.

Deputy Police Commissioner Mike Cram told reporters at the scene on Saturday that officers from a special unit for combating off-road vehicles spotted the man on one of his dirt bikes shortly before 3:30 p.m. and pursued him because riding such motorcycles is prohibited in the city.

Cram said officers stopped the man as he was driving the motorcycle into a garage located in a fenced auto repair and junkyard at the corner of Sixth and West Somerset streets.

Cram told reporters that the man allegedly pulled out a gun and the officer then shot him twice. He was taken to Temple University Hospital in critical condition, police said.

There are also no further details about the police officer who shot the man. The police did not initially respond to a request for further information.

The man drove the motorcycle into a garage belonging to the Adley Automotive Group, a car repair shop that also buys junk cars. Nicholas Adley, owner of the shop, said he did not know the man who was shot but had seen him in the shop before. He said the man did not work there but seemed to know people who did.

“He’s a fighting guy,” he said, without elaborating.

Adley said security cameras on the property were not working. A man who worked in the garage and declined to give his name said he was present at the shooting and “saw everything” but declined to speak to reporters.

“Ask the police,” he said before closing the garage door.

Omar Andino, a 48-year-old who has lived across the street from the truck stop for six years, said he was lying in bed when he heard two gunshots. He looked out the window and saw a police officer pointing his gun at him and a man lying on the ground.

Andino said he saw the officers handcuff the man, then drag him into their patrol car and speed away. His security cameras also have been offline for the past week and did not capture the shooting, he said. He did not recognize the man and said there had been no problems at the auto shop before.

Another resident, who has lived here for 20 years and only uses his first name, Angel, for privacy reasons, said he also heard the two blaring gunshots. His Ring camera did not capture the incident and he said he is trying to keep to himself.

“You know what they say,” he said. “Anyone around here who interferes is asking for trouble.”

The shooting came after Philadelphia Police Chief Kevin Bethel announced plans to crack down on the use of dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles, which some view as a nuisance and safety risk to pedestrians and motorists, while others view them as a recreational activity.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker made enforcement of anti-motorcycle laws a top priority when she took office, as residents have complained about loud, persistent noise as well as illegal activities such as street racing, drifting, blocking roads and bystander police. Philadelphia police announced in April that they would increase enforcement as the weather warms.

“It’s not uncommon for us to seize weapons during our dirt bike patrols, and this is a prime example of the danger they pose to the city,” Cram said Saturday.

The shooting occurred in an area of ​​high levels of neglect. The auto repair shop is diagonally across the street from Fairhill Elementary School, which has been vacant for more than a decade and is now covered in graffiti. On Sunday, two homeless people were sleeping in the entrance. Piles of trash and illegally dumped waste lined the street – a toilet, a shopping cart, more than a dozen bulging black garbage bags, an old Jeep full of cardboard boxes.

And now new to the collection: strips of yellow barrier tape left behind by the police.

Staff writer Wendy Ruderman contributed to this article.