EAST LANSDOWNE, Pa. (CBS) — Videos from Lewis Avenue in East Lansdowne show a police officer in the street after being shot, and other officers coming to his rescue, with one giving him cover with a ballistic shield.
The harrowing videos were filmed by a neighbor Wednesday after police arrived at a home in the Delaware County town responding to a 911 call. Two officers were hit by gunfire, leading to more police arriving at the scene.
READ MORE: 2 officers dragged to safety after shooting in East Lansdowne, expected to be OK
The home where the shots came from caught fire during the incident.
Neighbor Derrick Richardson captured some moments from the incident in videos posted on TikTok. In those videos, gunshots can be heard and officers can be seen taking cover behind parked cars and later, a SWAT vehicle.
The officers were identified later Thursday as David Schiazza and John Meehan. It’s not clear who is depicted in this video.
Derrick Richardson/TikTok
Richardson spoke to CBS News Philadelphia on Thursday.
“I saw the SWAT team, they were parked up on my lawn,” Richardson said. “They packed into the back of the SWAT vehicle. I think they were attempting to use the SWAT vehicle as a shield. But the fire, it got to be, it was just out of control.”
Another part of the videos showed the SWAT vehicle and law enforcement in camouflage as the home burned in the background.
Derrick Richardson/TikTok
“I did see the kids, I saw the husband, I saw the wife, and I’m devastated. I would never want something like this to happen to my family or my home,” Richardson said.
Richardson added that he’s seen the officer who was shot patrolling in the neighborhood before. He is saying a prayer for him.
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said firefighters were held back from the home for a time for their safety as it was an active shooter situation.
The officers shot were dragged to safety.
One of the officers hit by gunfire was scooped by Upper Darby police and the other was taken in ambulance to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Both of the officers are expected to be OK and were alert when the mayor, police chief and Stollsteimer visited them in the hospital Wednesday night.
Stollsteimer said the officers gave a thumbs up to their visitors.
Investigators were beginning to search the home for residents Thursday after firefighters put out hot spots that were still smoldering. Images from Chopper 3 showed the roof of the home was gone and one of the sides of the home had fallen in.
Chopper 3/CBS News Philadelphia
Six to eight people are still unaccounted for as of Thursday morning.
