Man charged after Philly officer shot, fights erupt near Overbrook High School: police

PHILADELPHIA - Moments of chaos near a Philadelphia high school left ended with a young officer critically shot. That officer is now recovering at this hospital, and the suspected shooter has been charged.

What we know:

According to Philly police, just before 2:42 p.m. Wednesday officers at Overbrook High School near the 1900 block of North 59th Street asked for backup due to multiple fights occurring outside the school. 

They say arrests were made due to the fights. 

Then, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel says at some point during the chaos of the fights, an adult armed with a gun arrived on the scene.

Police say that a 30-year-old man then fired a gunshot from what appeared to be a Ruger 57 semiautomatic pistol. 

The man fired the weapon into the ground and the cartridge then ricocheted and hit a police officer under his bullet-proof vest.

The man who fired the gunshot has been taken into police custody. 

On Thursday, Bethel announced that the suspect, identified as 30-year-old Dachan Seay, was charged with aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, reckless endangerment and related offenses.

He also provided an update on the injured officer, saying that he is "on the road to recovery" after undergoing surgery. 

"He suffered a significant wound, but through the amazing work of our doctors and nurses at Penn, he is on a road to recovery," said Commissioner Kevin Bethel. "Anybody out there that says, ‘Oh, it was an accident,’ and, you know, you brought a gun to a fight. What was your expectation, right? So don't be surprised when the gun goes off."

He has been with the Philadelphia Police Department for a little over a year, and was just assigned to the 19th District back in March. 

No police officers fired their weapons and no other injuries have been reported. 

Dig deeper:

Law enforcement sources tell FOX 29 the video provided by a witness, that captured the chaos after class let out at Overbrook High School, shows a man coming into frame almost immediately after the gunshot goes off. 

Sources say that man is the alleged shooter, Dachan Seay. His hands appear to be concealing something in his waistband.

Sources say the video shows Seay again, as he was taken into custody.

Only FOX 29 was there as Seay was arraigned on several serious charges including aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer. During that hearing, the defense said Seay was there for his niece and told officers his gun went off when he put it in his waistband, and it was an accident.

Further testimony in the courtroom revealed that the Ruger 57 semiautomatic pistol that Seay allegedly showed up with, had a laser attached and 20 live rounds.

"When we talk about adults, these are individuals who should be de-escalating, who should be working, calling the school and saying there's a problem, coming in to get their child out of the situation, not aggravating the situation," said Commissioner Bethel.

He also argued that the students fighting should be held accountable.

"You don't get to abdicate your responsibility because you're a student or someone who decides you want to call an adult, into something that was going on in the school, so my expectation is the school meets us at that same space, holding young people accountable," he said.

Talina Glover, director and co-owner of Overbrook Little Learners, right by the high school, says their windows were open and teachers could hear the fights and gunshot from inside.

"I was very startled and just scared for my staff and the children, because as you know, and I know, that bullets end up anywhere," she says.

Glover says parents had to be escorted by police to pick up the children.

"I think it’s horrendous, I mean to piggyback off the Commissioner, when we were younger, if there was a fight, you kind of handled your business and you would fight amongst yourselves," she says. "So, to have to call backup, and it be an adult, and they bring a weapon, I mean it’s just unrealistic and it’s sad."

Seay’s wife told FOX 29 over the phone that her husband is a loving man who was protecting his family, and it was an accident.

He is being held on $2 million bond.

What they're saying:

"Fights after school have been happening since I was a kid. Right. But what I never would do is call an adult in to my fight," said Commissioner Bethel. "You're a damn adult. Yeah, you're supposed to know better. You're supposed to be the one who has to come in here to de-escalate, not escalate. And so when you have an adult come to the to the with a weapon that could easily kill my officers. I mean, it makes absolutely no sense."

"We constantly are encouraging parents. I mean, it can't just be us. It can't be just Doctor Watlington and the school district…engaged in this process," Bethel continued. "But when a 30-year-old man comes to a fight with children, the hell are they going to do? And then you bring a gun. So you're a coward anyway. You won't come to the fight. Come to fight, but you bring a gun and then you fired a weapon. Anyone could have been injured. Unfortunately, my officer is the one who was injured in this case."

Both Commisisioner Bethel and Mayor Cherelle Parker said a special event honoring the lives of officers killed in the line of duty occurred Wednesday. Unfortunately, police had to leave the luncheon to tackle yet another officer shot. 

Overbrook High School Principal Julian Graham sent out the following letter to families Wednesday:

"Dear Overbrook Families, 

This letter is to inform you of an incident that occurred today. Shortly after dismissal there was an altercation outside of the school building that included students and members of the community. Unfortunately, it resulted in a Philadelphia Police Officer being injured by a firearm off school property by a community member. Our thoughts are with the impacted officer. All after school programming scheduled to occur at Overbrook for today is cancelled. Offsite sports and activities are not impacted. As you know, the safety and well-being of our students is the main priority of each and every staff member here, and we will always strive to ensure that school remains a secure and welcoming environment. Per the District policy, any object, device, or instrument, which, in its inherent and functional purpose is intended to be a weapon, is prohibited from school property – including the exterior perimeter of the building. Violence is never an acceptable means to conflict resolution and we echo the District’s commitment to teaching and reinforcing appropriate conflict resolution skills to our students and encourage students to seek solutions from a caring adult in our building if they need support. This is an ongoing investigation and we are working with the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD). If you have any information or questions, please call the main office at 215-400-7300. There will be a communication shared later this evening regarding plans for school operations and supports available for students tomorrow. There will be additional School Safety Officers PPD Officers onsite tomorrow. We thank you for your continued partnership for the students at Overbrook High School."

District Attorney Larry Krasner released the following statement regarding the incident: 

"I want to personally wish the officer a speedy recovery, and commend him for his service and courage. I also share Mayor Cherelle Parker and Police Commissioner Bethel's disgust that the 30-year-old defendant needlessly and recklessly escalated an already tense situation outside of Overbrook High School. While this investigation remains open, I want to stress that my office will hold this suspect justly and appropriately accountable for his outrageous actions. Our Victim Services Unit will work collaboratively with PPD to ensure the Officer, his colleagues who were involved in today's incident, as well as the community impacted by today's shooting have access to the supports and services available through our office."

Mayor Parker also released the following statement after Wednesday's press conference:

Governor Josh Shapiro acknowledged the bravery of the Philadelphia police officers in a post to X Wednesday. 

"Lori and I join so many across our Commonwealth praying for the brave @PhillyPolice officer shot in the line of duty today.   Every day, our law enforcement officers put their own lives on the line to keep our communities and our families safe.  The officer, his family, and all those he serves alongside are in our thoughts tonight," the post read.

What's next:

This is an ongoing and active investigation. 

What you can do:

According to Mayor Parker, the best thing anyone can do at the moment is ‘pray.’

Anyone with additional information should contact Philadelphia police. 

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