Man attempting to break into Northeast Philadelphia homes fatally shot by police, authorities say
A 26-year-old man suspected of attempting to break into homes was shot and killed by two police officers following a chase and fight Friday afternoon in Northeast Philadelphia, police said.
Philadelphia Police Department Deputy Commissioner of Investigations Frank Vanore said officers responded around 2:30 p.m. to a report of a man trying to enter residences on the 4100 block of Tyson Avenue in Mayfair. When police arrived and attempted to stop the man on the 7000 block of Frankford Avenue, he ran off.
The chase ended in front of Mr. Storage Store, where a physical confrontation broke out between the two officers and the man, according to Vanore. During the fight, both officers fired their weapons, fatally striking him, Vanore said. Family members identified the 26-year-old man as Jamir Cave.
A knife was recovered at the scene near Cave, Vanore said. A witness told CBS News Philadelphia they heard police ordering Cave to drop a knife.
Vanore noted the investigation is in its early stages, but both officers had their body-worn cameras activated. Investigators will also review area surveillance footage.
"We have a lot of work to do," Vanore said.
Family of man killed by officers disputes police narrative
The family of Cave disputed the narrative provided by police that he was attempting to break into homes.
Moico Boyd, Cave's aunt, said he was recently released from Einstein and suffered from mental illness. She said they tried to get him back to the doctor earlier this week.
Boyd said her nephew also wasn't armed.
"This killing is because of mental illness," Boyd said.
Cave's family said he was missing and they were trying to find him Friday.
Ebony Boyd, Cave's mother, said they tried to report her son missing Friday, but police never showed up.
Ebony Boyd said a woman showed up at her house Friday, saying she saw her son. When she arrived at that location, she saw a massive police presence at the scene.
"This is the worst thing I've ever had to deal with," Ebony Boyd said.
Video shows moments before Philadelphia police shooting
A video on social media shows the moments that led to two officers fatally shooting Cave in Northeast Philly. Police confirmed the video is part of their investigation.
The cellphone video, which was shot by a witness, appears to show police confronting Cave when a scuffle takes place. The video appears to show something in Cave's right hand that he points at officers, and then moments later, police fired shots at him.
Cave's mother vowed to get justice for him.
"We should not have to go through this s---," Ebony Boyd said. "We should not have to go through this. It's crazy. It hurts me so bad. I can't even fathom this. I don't know how I'm going to be able to deal with this. But I will fight for this s---. I will f------- fight and I will win. Trust and believe me. Because after all these videos I've done seen, I've seen that he didn't have nothing to do with none of this s---. He should've never of had to go down how he did. And that's f----- up. My son was innocent. Innocent! My son didn't deserve nothing like that."
