Bridge shooter still at large, police say

Police are still searching for the man who shot a Drexel University student and an off-duty police officer just before 7 p.m. Friday at the Bridge Cinema de Lux at 4012 Walnut St.

Philadelphia Police spokeswoman Tanya Little said the investigation is “ongoing” and that no arrests have been made.

“We’re actively looking for him,” she said.

Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small, who was at the scene, said the suspect is a 5-foot-8-inch male with a thin build and at the time wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt and a mask over his face.

Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said the incident was a “botched robbery” that turned into a shoot-out.

“[The suspect] was armed, he was interrupted, and a gun battle ensued,” Rush said.

The University did not send out a UPennAlert — an emergency notification used to alert the community — because the suspect was not believed to be an immediate threat, Rush said Friday.

The Division of Public Safety would send out an alert “if we believed that [the suspect] was a deranged individual that would cause harm to others in the area,” Rush said. She added that she believed the situation was “well under control.”

The two wounded individuals were sent to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where they both underwent surgery. According to DPS spokeswoman Stef Cella, the men are now in stable condition. The Drexel student, identified as sophomore Jared Hurwich by the Drexel Triangle, was still in the hospital as of Monday evening.

The police officer, unaffiliated with the Philadelphia Police, was shot in the left shoulder in the lobby of the theater, according to Small. Rush said the officer was a member of the Capitol Police Department in Harrisburg.

Small called the Drexel student, shot in the left leg, an “innocent bystander.” Based on where the he was standing, he was likely shot by the suspect, Small said.

According to Small, the suspect entered the lobby wearing a mask and proceeded to an employee-only section of the box office. The off-duty officer attempted to intervene and at least 12 shots were fired. Small said it is unclear who fired first and whether the suspect was shot during the incident.

After the shots were fired, the suspect fled on foot with an unknown amount of money. Rush said he fled westbound on Walnut Street and southbound on S. 41st Street.

Police were notified of the incident at 6:57 p.m. and responded shortly thereafter. Some money from the attempted robbery was recovered, according to Rush.

A College junior, who was leaving a house on the 4000 block of Walnut Street but asked to remain anonymous, was between the Rotunda and the Bridge when she heard shots fired. She saw people running out of a side entrance in the theater and “turned around and ran all the way back to the house.”

Gabriella Yudenich was about to enter the theater when the shots were fired, said she saw people in the lobby “diving and throwing themselves on the ground,” then saw the suspect flee out a side door.

Staff Writer Jenny Chung, City News Editor-elect Jared McDonald and Campus News Editor-elect Darina Shtrakhman contributed reporting to this article.

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