3rd Philly Officer shot in 4 days dies

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From CNN.Com

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) -- A police officer shot in the head by a doughnut shop robber died Thursday morning, the police commissioner announced.

Officer Charles Cassidy walked in on a robbery and was shot in the forehead, police officials say.

The 54-year-old officer, Charles Cassidy, died at 9:40 a.m. at Albert Einstein Medical Center, police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson said.

He was the third city officer shot in the span of four days.

Cassidy was wounded Wednesday at a Dunkin' Donuts when a hooded robber spun from the counter and fired at him as he walked in the door, according to an employee. Watch security video of the robbery »

Cassidy, who had his hand on his gun, fell backward to the ground just outside the shop. The bullet went through his brain, Johnson said.

The officer came in twice a day for a large coffee with cream and sugar, shop employee Sandra Kim said. "He's always nice to all the employees," she said. "The officer was just coming in for a cup of coffee like normal."

Police swarmed the North Philadelphia neighborhood on foot, in squad cars and a helicopter looking for the robber, who grabbed the officer's weapon as he fled, according to security camera images released by police.

The gunman went into the shop, pushed aside two customers while waving a gun and demanded money just before Cassidy opened the door, according to video and Kim. He then whirled and shot the officer as he held the door.

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Johnson said video showed the gunman running through the shop's parking lot with a distinctive gait, almost as if he had a limp.

Johnson said the officer was doing a routine check on the shop, which had been robbed September 18. He said he didn't think the robber got away with any money.

The shooting came about 12 hours after a masked gunman shot traffic Officer Mario Santiago in the shoulder during a chase downtown.

Santiago was responding to a report of a gunman in a sport utility vehicle shooting at another car, injuring two men and a woman, police said.

He was chasing the SUV when the gunman eventually got out of his vehicle and approached the squad car, firing twice through the window. Santiago was hit once in the right shoulder, police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson said.

Santiago was in fair condition Wednesday.

The gunman in that shooting apparently jumped into the Schuylkill River, where searchers later recovered a body. Police said Wednesday morning that they had not determined whether it was the suspect's body.

Early Sunday, an officer responding to a melee at a West Philadelphia nightclub was shot in the ankle. More than two dozen bullets were fired, police said. One suspect was fatally shot and another was arrested.

Edited November 1, 2007 by SPFC56-233