PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia prosecutors said they filed charges in connection with the fatal shooting of a Philadelphia police corporal in Frankford early Friday morning.
The District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday they have sufficient evidence to establish that Hassan Elliott, 21, the subject of the fugitive arrest warrant, fired the rounds that killed Philadelphia Police Cpl. James O’Connor. Prosecutors are pursing additional evidence, including the results of forensic testing, Fox 29 reported.
As a result, Elliott will be arraigned on murder, criminal homicide of a law enforcement officer and related charges, according to prosecutors.
“Last Friday, Philadelphia Police Corporal James O’Connor was killed while performing one of the most dangerous duties of law enforcement: serving an arrest warrant for a known fugitive. This incident involved multiple individuals and multiple shots fired from behind the walls and closed door of a second floor residence. There is no video or audio evidence of what occurred inside the residence during this incident as of today. The investigation of this incident is being led by Philadelphia Police detectives, and is very much active and in very early stages,” Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said.
O’Connor, 46, — a 23 year law enforcement veteran — was a 15-year member of the Philadelphia Police Department SWAT team.
Sadly, he leaves behind a wife and two children. One of his children serves in a separate district on the police department and his daughter serves in the U.S. Air Force.
Shortly before 6 a.m. Friday, officers were attempting to serve a homicide warrant when they were met with gunfire. Authorities said Elliot was being served a fugitive arrest warrant as part of an ongoing investigation relating to a 2019 murder.
According to prosecutors, at the time of the incident, Elliott, Khalif Sears, Bilah Mitchell and Sherman Easterling were in one bedroom of the second floor residence. Furthermore, 21 shots were fired at SWAT before they were able to make entry, prosecutors said, according to CBS Philadelphia.
Detectives indicate Cpl. O’Connor was in the line of fire and was fatally wounded by those shots. SWAT officers returned fire, wounding Sears and another unnamed male resident of the unit, Fox 29 reported. Elliott, Sears, Easterling, and Mitchell were taken into custody.
Elliott has been charged in the March 2019 murder and a non-fatal shooting in Dec. 2019. Ten firearms were recovered by investigators from the room where the gunfire began, according to police.
Elliott and Sears will have preliminary hearings on April 1.
