Police said the man fled while being moved from Penn Presbyterian Medical Center to a police wagon.
PHILADELPHIA, PA — A 26-year-old shooting suspect who escaped police custody Tuesday morning outside Penn Presbyterian Medical Center was captured about three hours later after an intense search through West Philadelphia’s Powelton neighborhood, police said.
The escape brought a large police response to residential blocks near Baring Street, where officers searched yards, alleys and properties while neighbors watched from homes and sidewalks. Police said the man had been in custody after a shooting earlier Tuesday in Southwest Philadelphia and had been treated for a gunshot wound before he fled.
Officials identified the man as Henry Abdula, 26. Police said he had been involved in a shooting in Kingsessing earlier Tuesday morning and was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center for treatment. After he was released from medical care, officers were moving him from the emergency room area to a police wagon for transfer to police headquarters when he ran, Inspector Kpana Massaquoi said. “At some point while he was being transferred from the ER into the police wagon, he managed to escape,” Massaquoi said. The search began around 10:20 a.m. and quickly drew Philadelphia police, police dogs and officers from nearby university police departments into the Powelton area.
Police focused on the blocks around Baring Street after receiving information that the suspect might be hiding behind homes. Officers entered yards and checked rear properties as residents reported seeing police move through fences and gates. Abdula was found around 1:15 p.m. in the rear of a property on the 3400 block of Baring Street, officials said. Some witnesses said he appeared to be hiding near or inside a backyard shed. Police said neighbors helped point officers toward the area where he was found. Details about the original shooting, including the condition of any other person involved, were not fully released Tuesday. Police also had not fully described how Abdula broke away from officers during the hospital transfer.
The search unfolded in a dense part of West Philadelphia near homes, schools, medical facilities and university buildings. Powelton residents described seeing streets blocked and officers moving through private yards. Elaine Simon, who lives in the neighborhood, said the number of police vehicles on her block was startling. Other witnesses said the scene changed quickly once officers believed they had located the suspect. Video from the area showed officers moving through a fence toward a shed as the search narrowed. Police said drones and K-9 units were used during the operation, and that Drexel and University of Pennsylvania police assisted.
Abdula was taken back into custody after the backyard search. Police did not immediately list all charges he may face from the alleged shooting, the escape or any events during the search. Officials said more information would depend on the continuing investigation, including review of the shooting in Kingsessing and the circumstances of the hospital transfer. Investigators were expected to determine whether additional charges related to escape or fleeing custody would be filed. Police also had not released a full timeline of his medical treatment, when he was first placed under arrest or how many officers were handling the transfer when he fled.
Residents and workers near Baring Street said they saw officers move through the neighborhood before the capture. Kevin Walker, who was working in the area, said he briefly encountered the escapee before police closed in. Walker said the man asked him for help getting someone’s attention for a ride. “We just sat there kind of like frozen and then all the cops swarmed,” Walker said. Brandon Malinski, another witness, said the encounter was unlike anything he had seen in the neighborhood. Bob Roomet, who lives nearby, said a neighbor saw the man go over a fence before police moved in.
By late Tuesday, police said the suspect was in custody and the search in Powelton had ended. The next steps include formal charging decisions and the release of more details about the Kingsessing shooting and the escape from Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
Author note: Last updated Thursday, April 30, 2026.