Philadelphia police: Suspect shot officer in name of Islam

A man accused of ambushing a police officer and firing shots at point-blank range said he was acting in the name of Islam and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, Philadelphia authorities said Friday.
Both the officer and suspect were injured during the barrage of gunfire late Thursday at an intersection as the officer sat in his police car.
The suspect was identified as 30-year-old Edward Archer. Police Commissioner Richard Ross said Archer told police he believed the department defends laws that are contrary to Islam.
Ross said there was no apparent motive for the attack. Police said there was no indication anyone else was involved.

"He just came out of nowhere and started firing on him," Ross said of the suspect. "He just started firing with one aim and one aim only, to kill him."

Officer Jesse Hartnett shouted, "I'm bleeding heavily!" into his police radio, got out of his car and chased the suspect before police apprehended him.
The gunman fired at least 13 shots toward Hartnett and eventually reached through the driver's-side window. The officer returned fire, hitting his attacker at least three times.
Hartnett, 33, was in stable condition.
"I don't know how this officer survived," Ross said. "This is absolutely one of the scariest things I've ever seen."

Edward Archer confronts a police car driven by Officer Jesse Hartnett in Philadelphia. Photo / AP

Archer's mother, Valerie Holliday, told The Philadelphia Inquirer her son has been hearing voices recently and that the family asked him to get help. She also described him as a devout Muslim.
The gun used by Archer was stolen from an officer's home in 2013, police said.
Jim Kenney, in his first week as mayor of the nation's fifth-largest city, called Archer's actions "abhorrent" and said they have nothing to do the teachings of Islam.
The mayor also said, "There are just too many guns on the streets, and I think our national government needs to do something about that."

Officials investigate the scene of a shooting in Philadelphia. Photo / AP

A gun sits by a marker following a shooting in Philadelphia. Photo / AP

His statement comes after President Barack Obama's announcement Tuesday of his plan to tighten gun control laws.
Last March, Archer pleaded guilty to firearms and assault charges stemming from a 2012 case but was immediately released and placed on probation, court records show. Records also show he was scheduled to be sentenced Monday in suburban Philadelphia in a traffic and forgery case.
The attorney who represented him in the firearms case was unavailable to comment because he was in court, his office said. A message to his lawyer in the forgery case was not immediately returned.