Search fatalities

Joseph Smithers

Age : 32

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 07/06/2026

Location : 1600 block of West Erie Avenue

City : Philadelphia

County : Philadelphia

State : Pennsylvania

Agency : Philadelphia Police Department

Officer(s) :Azieme Lindsey

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police following shooting

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 07/02/2026 at approximately 10:21 a.m., Philadelphia Police officers responded to the area outside St. Christopher's Hospital for Children after receiving a 911 call from a family member reporting that Joseph Smithers, 32, was experiencing a mental health crisis, was suicidal, and was armed with a handgun. Smithers had previously been directed away from the hospital by security after an earlier incident.
Officer Azieme Lindsey, 28, and another officer located Smithers near a SEPTA bus stop on East Erie Avenue. According to Philadelphia Police, the officers repeatedly attempted to communicate with Smithers and instructed him to drop the handgun. Police stated Smithers removed the handgun from his waistband during the encounter. Officer Lindsey fired his service weapon, striking Smithers. A woman standing nearby sustained a graze wound to her neck during the shooting and was treated for a non-life-threatening injury.
Smithers was transported to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Investigators recovered a loaded handgun at the scene. Philadelphia Police later released body-worn camera footage, surveillance video, and additional investigative details as part of a contextual briefing on the shooting.
On 07/06/2026, Philadelphia Police identified the involved officer as Officer Azieme Lindsey, a four-year veteran of the department, and confirmed he had been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation. The shooting is being investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department's Officer-Involved Shooting Investigations Unit, Internal Affairs Bureau, and the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office.
Family members stated Smithers had been suffering from a severe mental health crisis before the shooting and had called for help because they feared he would harm himself. The circumstances surrounding the police response and use of deadly force continue to be reviewed by investigating authorities.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://6abc.com/post/man-apparently-shot-officer-outside-st-christophers-hospital-children-philadelphias-hunting-park-section-police/19435669/
https://www.inquirer.com/crime/st-christophers-childrens-hospital-philly-officer-joseph-smithers-fatal-shooting-20260706.html