So far, no charges against man shot by police

WEST PHILADELPHIA - July 25, 2012 (WPVI) -- A man shot and wounded by police early Wednesday morning has not yet been charged with any crime.

The 22-year-old man was shot in the shoulder around 12:30 a.m. in the area of Appletree and 56th streets.

Investigators say plainclothes officers saw a vehicle stopped on the side of the road at Vodges Street. They reportedly saw a man who was believed to be involved in a drug transaction with the people inside the car.

The officers approached the vehicle and identified themselves, police said, and the man outside the vehicle put his hand near his waist, possibly indicating he had a gun.

The man then fled on foot through a housing development, but police caught up to him in the 5600 block of Appletree Street near 56th Street.

That's when, investigators say, the man turned toward the officers with his hand still near his waist as the officers told him to put his hands up.

The man refused, so one of the officers fire four times, striking the man once in the shoulder.

The man was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in stable condition.

Police say the man did not have a gun and no drugs were found on him at the hospital.

So far, he has not been charged with any crime. Police say he did have prior arrests for drug and gun violations.

The officer who fired the shots is on desk duty as this investigation continues.

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