Officers shoot, kill armed man on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia

Philadelphia and transit police shot and killed an armed man following a confrontation with officers Friday morning on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, prompting a large police response.

Police received calls around 11 a.m. about a person with a gun at 21st Street and the Parkway, Commissioner Kevin Bethel said. Police set up a large perimeter because of the number of people in the area, which is near the Franklin Institute and Calder Gardens.

Video from Chopper 3 showed officers appearing to pursue a person in a grassy area near the intersection. That person was then placed in the back of a police vehicle before it sped away from the scene.

The man fired his weapon at least once and waved the gun around, Bethel said. A SEPTA police officer and a Philadelphia police officer both fired their weapons, striking the man. 

Police transported the person to Jefferson University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead just after 11:30 a.m., Bethel said.

No officers were hurt, Bethel said.

"This is a very tragic situation," Bethel said. Officers tried to get the man to drop his weapon, he added.

As of 12:30 p.m., the Parkway is closed at least between 20th and 22nd streets. A revolver was lying on the ground at the scene.

The Franklin Institute had a short shelter-in-place order, but it has been lifted, museum officials said.

The investigation is ongoing.