A 33-year-old officer from the Philadelphia Police Department was severely injured on Thursday when a gunman approached his vehicle and fired on him "at least 11 times," the New York Times reports. The officer, Jesse Hartnett, was hit three times in the left arm before amazingly managing to exit the vehicle and return fire. The gunman has been identified as 30-year-old Edward Archer, who reportedly committed the attack in the name of ISIS using a handgun stolen from police.
Archer has reportedly "confessed to committing this cowardly act in the name of Islam," police commissioner Richard Ross, Jr. revealed during a press conference on Friday. "According to him, the police defend laws that he believes are contrary to Islam." The suspect was also quoted by the department's homicide division as "echoing" the following: "I follow Allah and I pledge allegiance to the Islamic State. That is the reason why I did what I did."
In 2013, Archer was detained and charged with a variety of offenses including terroristic threats and aggravated assault, BuzzFeed Newsconfirms. The FBI is currently working closely with local authorities on the investigation. "In no way, shape or form does anyone in this room believe that Islam or the teaching of Islam have anything to do with what you’ve seen on this screen," Mayor Jim Kenney insisted on Friday.
Hartnett, who lost "a significant amount of blood" the night of his attack," is currently recovering from a broken bone and severe nerve damage.
