A Korean-American man was shot and killed after opening fire on police in Philadelphia on October 4.
According to the police, Michael Hwang, a 42-year-old man believed to be Korean American, was shot and killed around 7 p.m. on October 4. He had shot three police officers and another man inside a home while wearing a bulletproof vest. The shooting occurred at a home in the 7500 block of Whitaker Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia.
Hwang got into a verbal altercation with a man inside the home and then shot him in the face. A 12-year-old boy in the home at the time called 911, saying, “My uncle just shot my dad,” and responding officers found Hwang outside the home.
Police said Hwang opened fire at the officers after refusing to comply with commands to drop his weapon outside the property. Two officers were shot in the leg, and another police sergeant was shot in the left hand. The sergeant returned fire and killed Hwang, who was pronounced dead at the scene around 7:27 p.m. The incident unfolded in just 20 minutes.
Police reported that Hwang had a .40 caliber Glock pistol loaded with 11 live rounds inside an extended magazine with a 22-round capacity. He also had two loaded magazines inside his back pants pocket.
The shootout with Hwang began after a domestic incident inside a home involving a video game, the police said.
According to court records, Hwang was arrested in May on suspicion of possessing a handgun. He was found not guilty of committing a crime but was acquitted at trial last month.
Hwang’s family and one of the officers who was shot are in the hospital receiving treatment, while two other officers were hospitalized after the incident but have reportedly been discharged.
BY JIHYE YOON [yoon.jihye@koreadailyny.com]
