Erie Police officer shot by suspect wearing ballistic armor, officer in stable condition

An early morning shooting on Erie’s east side sent a city police officer to the hospital. Authorities were on the scene all morning investigating this incident.

Thankfully the officer shot is said to be in stable condition and the suspect has been taken into custody.

But anytime a member of the law enforcement goes down, the whole force takes action.

One City of Erie police officer was taken to UPMC Hamot Sunday morning after being shot in the leg.

Calls went out for reported gunfire around 4:50 Sunday morning at the intersection of East 22nd and Wallace Streets.

When police arrived at the scene around 5:00 a.m., the suspect opened fire on police from inside a residence on East 22nd.

One person who lives nearby said he was woken up by the gunfire and was alarmed when he heard what happened.

“The scope of the investigation that you wake up to on a Sunday morning involving this nature is a bit disturbing,” said Michael Loesel, neighbor.

One male officer was shot in the leg and as he took cover, police responded by firing back.

Officers performed emergency medical treatments at the scene and transported the wounded sergeant to UPMC Hamot’s trauma center by police car.

The injured officer was stabilized at the hospital before entering emergency surgery. He has since been described to be in stable condition by the City of Erie.

A high police presence persisted throughout Sunday morning in the area as Erie Police, SWAT, state police, and forensics teams investigated.

“To have an officer involved in the shooting raises the level of the problem significantly,” Loesel said. “But this definitely raises an eyebrow. One has to wonder what actually transpired.”

Mayor Joe Schember released a statement this afternoon on the shooting saying:

“Our hearts and prayers go out to the officer, the officer’s family and the entire police community. The incident is still under investigation, and we will share any new information as soon as possible.”

Police said that the suspect, who was wearing ballistic armor during the exchange, freely surrendered to officers on the scene and was taken into custody uninjured. The officer has not been identified at this time.