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Pottstown officer shot in-line-of-duty; suspect in custody
Pottstown police responded to a domestic disturbance call, which, officials say, led to an officer being shot.
POTTSTOWN, Pa. - "He was sitting up a little bit. He was, you know, conscious and aware of what was going on," said Olivia Castro about a police officer who was shot.
She recorded cellphone video from a neighbor showing emergency crews and law enforcement bringing a Pottstown police officer out of an apartment on a medical board. Investigators say he was shot while responding to a domestic call. FOX 29 concealed the officer’s face in the video because investigators have not released his name.
"They're here to do their job. He did his job and they apprehended the suspect," said Castro. She also captured video of police taking a man away in handcuffs. FOX 29 blurred his face because police on scene did not identify him.
The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office says police arrested a man identified as William Ciccoli, Jr.
"I heard all the alarms and sirens," said Castro.
The D.A. says the man became agitated with officers trying to diffuse an argument and tried to take an officer's gun from the holster.
Investigators say during the struggle the gun discharged and the officer was shot in the right hip. It happened just after 4:30 Friday afternoon.
Investigators say the suspect and a woman were having an argument inside a unit at an apartment building the 200 block of Chestnut Street.
"I'm mortified and it's really scary too and sad," said a woman who did not want to be identified. She came out of her home, upset by what happened.
"People live here and this is people's homes and if someone feels comfortable to pull a gun and shoot a police officer, they shouldn't have bail and they should go to prison forever," said the woman.
Investigators say Ciccoli will be charged later tonight.
The officer was taken to Reading Hospital Trauma Center for non-life-threatening injuries.