Philadelphia police identify officer who shot man allegedly wielding knife in North Philly home

Police have identified the officer they say shot and injured a man wielding a knife in a North Philadelphia home last week.

The shooting happened just before 3 a.m. on Dec. 31, 2025, on the 1800 block of North Bailey Street, the Philadelphia Police Department said in a news release.

Officer Nicholas Jones, assigned to the 22nd District, was one of two officers responding to a 911 call for a person screaming in a home on that block, the release said. The uniformed officers arrived at the home and heard a woman's voice yelling before knocking on the door.

Police said a child let the officers inside to check on the people in the home. Then, the officers saw 31-year-old Keith Freeman armed with a knife, who they say was standing over a 30-year-old woman on the floor. 

After officers told Freeman to drop the knife, he moved toward them and jumped over a sofa. That's when Jones fired one shot, hitting Freeman in the chest, police said.

Freeman was taken to a nearby hospital and underwent surgery. He's still listed in critical condition a week later.

The woman and the officers were not injured, according to police.

The other officer on the scene, a 31-year-old man, did not fire his weapon, according to police.

Both officers' body-worn cameras captured the incident, police said.

Jones, 26, is on administrative duty while the shooting is under investigation, as per department protocol. The Officer Involved Shooting Investigation Unit, Internal Affairs Bureau and the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office are investigating.

Freeman is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and a weapons charge, according to police.