Maurice Hill: Trial underway for man accused of shooting 6 Philadelphia officers in summer 2019
Maurice Hill faces dozens of charges that include attempted murder and assault of a law enforcement officer after a standoff in 2019.
Two of the six officers injured in the standoff testified on Thursday.
PHILADELPHIA - The trial is underway for Maurice Hill, the man accused of firing on Philadelphia Police officers during an hours-long standoff back in the summer of 2019.
What we know
Officer Joshua Burkitt testified how he took cover behind a red pick-up truck on the 3700 block of North 15th Street as it was getting peppered with bullets, when one of them hit the long gun he was holding.
He said fragments of the bullet struck his hand, and they are still lodged there today. He had just joined the force about a year prior.
Another officer injured that day, Justin Matthews, who no longer works with Philadelphia Police, also testified.
He said he positioned in the kitchen of a home across the street from where the gunfire was coming from, and at one point saw an African American man in a white tank top in a window.
Moments later, he heard two loud bangs and suddenly felt his hamstring burning.
Prosecutors allege that Hill started the standoff when he used an assault rifle to open fire on Narcotics officers, who were there for an investigation.
It led to a massive response of law enforcement ducking for cover, that ultimately ended with Hill surrendering following a phone call with District Attorney Larry Krasner.
A Philadelphia Police sergeant who worked the narcotics investigation also testified on Thursday, saying he was on the enclosed porch of the home where the shooting came from.
He testified that he returned fire twelve times, because, "I was being shot at and thought I was going to die."
At the time he said he believed he was the last officer in the home, and ran to safety.
Testimony started on Tuesday.
Officials say Hill's team decided to go to a trial after rejecting a plea deal.
Hill was seated beside his attorney in a navy-blue suit, occasionally turning back to look at those seated in the courtroom. Arguments by his attorney, Ellis Palividas, surround the notion that Hill did not know who he was firing upon that day.
What's next
Former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross and District Attorney Larry Krasner are among those that could testify, but it's unclear if they will be called to take the stand.
The trial will resume on Friday morning.
The Source
The information in this story is from the courtroom hearing session on Thursday, April 24.
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