The man suspected of shooting six Philadelphia police officers during an hourslong standoff is now facing multiple charges of attempted murder.
Maurice Hill, 36, was arraigned Saturday on multiple counts that also included aggravated assault, assault on law enforcement officers and reckless endangerment. Hill, who is suspected of firing more than 100 rounds during a standoff that gripped the city and the nation, was also denied bail.
Four other men were charged with drug offenses in connection with the standoff; two were trapped in the house along with the gunman and two Philadelphia police officers, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The standoff began in the Nicetown-Tioga neighborhood around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and ended shortly after midnight Thursday. Two officers and three civilians were safely evacuated before the arrest, having been trapped for hours in the same home as the shooter. Another officer was also injured in a car crash while responding to the standoff.
Despite the heavy gunfire, everyone involved made it out alive.
Hill used an AR-15-style rifle and a handgun during the shooting, said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross, who joined in on negotiations with the suspect during the standoff.
"I have to admit, I did not think that this guy was going to come out alive after several conversations with him and hearing a bunch of information throughout the afternoon," Ross said.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
District Attorney Larry Krasner previously said the charges against Hill could ensure he will "never exit jail."
Hill has a criminal record that dates back almost two decades and includes convictions on illegal gun possession. He was first arrested as an 18-year-old in 2001 for illegally possessing a gun with an altered serial number, court records show. He was found guilty on five counts related to that arrest.
In 2002 he was arrested yet again and eventually pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance and criminal conspiracy.
Hill would continue to be arrested over the years, with his crimes escalating in severity. In 2008, he was convicted of resisting arrest, criminal trespass and fleeing from police. Three years later, he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and most recently was found guilty of perjury, in 2013.
Federal court records indicate he was convicted in 2010 of being a felon in possession of a firearm and sentenced to four years and seven months in prison, plus three years of supervised release.
Hill's criminal record will be even longer after Wednesday's shootout.
