Police said a Philadelphia officer and SEPTA officer opened fire after an armed man fired during a confrontation near 21st Street.
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Witnesses described hearing gunfire and encountering a heavy police response Friday after officers fatally shot an armed man during a confrontation on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, closing part of the busy museum district for hours.
Philadelphia police said officers were called to the area of 21st Street and the Parkway shortly after 11 a.m. following reports of a man with a gun. Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said responding officers found a man armed with a revolver and tried to communicate with him while taking cover. Authorities said the man repeatedly pointed and waved the weapon before firing. A Philadelphia police officer and a SEPTA police officer then each fired once, striking him.
The man was taken to Jefferson University Hospital, where he died at 11:36 a.m., according to police. His name had not been released Friday afternoon, and police had not provided an exact age. Bethel said the man appeared to be in his 50s. No officers or bystanders were reported injured.
People who happened to be walking through the area said the violence interrupted an otherwise ordinary late morning along one of Philadelphia’s best-known stretches. Abby Rosenblum, who was visiting from Seattle for her daughter’s wedding, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that she was walking toward the Barnes Foundation when she heard what sounded like a gunshot. She initially continued walking before another shot was heard later.
Charlene Duty, who was with Rosenblum, also heard the later gunfire. Other visitors approached the area without immediately knowing what had happened as police began restricting access. Marc and Phyllis Donahue, of Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill neighborhood, were walking toward Calder Gardens when they learned that a shooting had occurred. Phyllis Donahue said she hoped the incident would not discourage people from visiting the city, while acknowledging the concern such violence creates.
Police said officers initially tried to resolve the confrontation without gunfire. Bethel said the armed man continued pointing and waving the revolver as officers moved back and sought cover. Authorities used a bullhorn in an attempt to communicate with him, according to accounts from police and witnesses in the area. Bethel said the man eventually fired his weapon, prompting the two officers to shoot.
Investigators were still working Friday to determine the full sequence of events, including how many times the man fired. Bethel said police were examining whether the incident may have involved what is sometimes described as an attempt to provoke officers into using deadly force. That possibility remained under investigation and had not been established as a final finding.
The confrontation triggered safety measures at nearby institutions and disrupted travel through the Parkway. The Franklin Institute temporarily instructed visitors to shelter in place as the police activity unfolded. Officers closed a section of the Parkway while investigators collected evidence, including a handgun that authorities said was recovered beneath a bench. The closure affected an area normally crowded with museum visitors, pedestrians and traffic.
The shooting came one week after another fatal encounter involving Philadelphia police. On Oct. 2, officers fatally shot 26-year-old Jamir Cave in the Mayfair section after police said he produced a kitchen knife during a struggle and advanced toward an officer. Police said body-worn cameras captured that incident, which also remains under investigation.
Friday’s Parkway shooting remained under investigation as authorities reviewed evidence and sought to establish the precise sequence of gunfire. Police had not publicly identified the man by Friday afternoon or announced additional injuries connected to the confrontation.
Author note: Last updated Oct. 9, 2026.