Police officials detail events following officer shooting in Kensington – NBC10 Philadelphia

In a dizzying series of events, police say, a gunman fled a traffic stop, shot a police officer, changed clothes and held a man hostage in his home, all in the space of about 15 minutes Saturday evening.

Law enforcement officials provided this timeline of events that led to the hospitalization of a Philadelphia police officer during an event Monday.

During the day, Philadelphia Police Department Commissioner Kevin Bethel said the incident was a senseless shooting.

“You’re talking nonsense,” Bethel said. “It's the most insane thing [shooting] you can imagine.”

Bethel said that after watching video of the event, he saw nothing — no escalation or anger — in the moments leading up to the officer's shooting.

“It was just a normal stop. Nothing that would give rise to the actions that ultimately took place,” Bethel said.

Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore on Monday laid out the events leading up to — and immediately following — Saturday's shooting, saying the suspected shooter, Ramon Rodriguez Vázquez, 36, held an innocent man hostage shortly afterward shooting.

It all started, he said, Saturday around 7:18 p.m., after two officers stopped a dark blue 2003 Toyota Echo along the 3600 block of F Street in the Kensington neighborhood. At that point, Vanore said, officers determined that the vehicle driven by Vázquez was not registered and they needed to seize it.

Initially, police reported that there were other people in the vehicle with Vázquez at the time of the stop. But, Vanore said, further investigation showed that as officers searched for a tow truck, Vázquez called friends — a 37-year-old man and two 33-year-old women — who came to the scene of the 'incident. stop in a separate vehicle.

“We thought they were in the car with him. That wasn't true. They came to the car and met him,” Vanore said.

These three individuals will also not be charged in connection with the incident, officials said Monday.

For about 30 minutes, Vanore said, the officers, Vázquez and the others spoke, mostly in Spanish, in front of the vehicle while the officers conducted an inventory of what was inside the vehicle.

At one point, Vanore said, one of the officers noticed a gun holster on the floor of the car, and when they questioned Vázquez about it, he fled.

Vanore said Vázquez fled on foot with the gun and that the shooting was unprovoked.

“While he is in the middle of the street, without any provocation, he turns around and fires three shots in the direction of the police,” Vanore explained.

That's when the officer was shot in the neck, Vanore said.

An officer returned a gunshot that did not hit Vázquez, and Vanore said that officer noticed his partner had been hit and immediately began rendering aid.

In the moments that followed, Vanore said, videos obtained by police showed that Vázquez threw off his shirt and put on another one he had in his possession and attempted to enter a garage, but did not enter. had not arrived.

Vanore said he then tried to carjack a brown van, but the driver sped away.

Vázquez continued on foot and about 15 minutes after the shooting he arrived at the 800 block of E. Shiller Street, where Vanore said he took a man hostage.

“There's an individual he meets in his 20s, sitting on the stoop, just having a drink and minding his own business,” Vanore said. “He shows the gun, he forces this individual into his home and holds him at gunpoint.”

According to Vanore, while inside the house, Vázquez asked the man several things before finally letting him go as police descended on the neighborhood.

Vázquez was eventually apprehended after a short barricade and the firearm used in the shooting was recovered.

Police officials said Vázquez is currently in custody and is charged with two counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer order, firearms violations, escape and related offenses.

And on Monday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said his office will do everything in its power to ensure justice is served.

“We fully intend to pursue this matter very vigorously,” Krasner said. “We are outraged. We are heartbroken by this horrific incident.”

When discussing the accusations, Krasner said the incident was “unacceptable.”

“What this family went through is indescribable,” Krasner said. “This is unacceptable. We cannot have this in this city for this family. We cannot have this for law enforcement officers in general. We cannot allow this to happen in our communities .”

Asked about the current condition of the officer injured in this incident, Bethel said the officer is still on life support.

“He’s in a battle,” Bethel said.