



A masked man accused of firing shots at point-blank range at a Philadelphia officer said he was acting in the name of Islam and pledged allegiance to ISIS.

The suspect, Edward Archer, opened fire at officer Jesse Hartnett as he sat alone in his marked cruiser shortly before midnight on Thursday.

Hartnett, who was wearing a bullet vest, was hit three times in his left arm, but miraculously got out of the car to continue shooting as the gunman ran away.

At a press conference this afternoon it was revealed Archer, who has a criminal record, used a police handgun reported stolen in 2013.

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A masked gunman who fired 13 shots at a Philadelphia police officer as he sat in his marked cruiser at an intersection has pledged allegiance to ISIS. The suspect, named by police as Edward Archer, (right) opened fire at officer Jesse Hartnett (left) as he sat alone in his car late on Thursday

The 30 year old, who was also hit three times, was taken into custody shortly after the 11.30pm ambush.

Police Commissioner Richard Ross said Archer pledged allegiance ISIS and told investigators that he believed police defend laws that are contrary to Islam.

He said there was no indication from Archer, of Yeadon, that he was involved in a conspiracy.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, a Democrat sworn in on Monday, told reporters he did not believe Archer's actions reflected Islamic thinking.

'In no way shape or form does anyone in this room believe that what was done represents Islam,' Kenney said.

The moment the gunman walked up to Officer Jesse Hartnett, 33, late on Thursday

The gunman fired at him at point blank range. Hartnett is in a stable condition with a broken arm and nerve damage

After shooting the officer again at point blank range the man, who pledged allegiance to ISIS, ran away

The gunman looks back as he runs away from the scene - he was quickly apprehended by other officers

As the suspect escapes Hartnett gets out of his car and continues to fire

Hartnett, 33, is in a stable condition and underwent surgery early Friday at Presbyterian Hospital.

Images from the horrific attack were shown at the press conference.

Ross said: 'This is absolutely one of the scariest things I've ever seen.'

'This guy tried to execute the police officer. The police officer had no idea he was coming.'

He said Hartnett was in his cruiser in West Philadelphia when the shooter approached from the sidewalk.

He then began firing, eventually shooting through the driver's-side window as he got closer.

At a press conference today it was revealed the gunman, who has a criminal record, used a police handgun reported stolen in 2013. Pictured: The black, 9mm semiautomatic pistol

Archer's mother, Valerie Holliday, told The Philadelphia Inquirer he has been hearing voices recently and that family asked him to get help

Police Commissioner Richard Ross said: 'This is absolutely one of the scariest things I've ever seen'

'I'm bleeding heavily!' Hartnett, a veteran of five years on the force, shouted into his police radio when he called in to report shots fired.

The suspect, who used a 9mm handgun, ran away but was quickly apprehended by other officers.

Ross said the gunman, who wore a long white robe, used a gun that was stolen from the home of a police officer in 2013.

'That is one of the things that you absolutely regret the most,' he said.

'When officer's gun is stolen and it's used against one of your own.'

Police said they will not be releasing video of the attack out of respect for Hartnett and his family

Archer's mother, Valerie Holliday, told The Philadelphia Inquirer he has been hearing voices recently and that family asked him to get help.

She also described him as devout Muslim.

She told Philly.com that he was one of seven children and that he had suffered head injuries from playing football and a moped accident.

'He's been acting kind of strange lately. He's been talking to himself... laughing and mumbling,' Holliday said. 'He's been hearing voices in his head. We asked him to get medical help.'

She added that Archer believed he was targeted by police.

The officer's father, Robert Hartnett, said he spoke to his son after his surgery.

'I love him and very proud of him. He's an excellent person,' Robert Hartnett said, reports 6ABC.

'His spirits are positive,' Richard said, saying his spirits are positive, 'now that I see he's waking up. It will be a tough road. But he's a tough guy.'

Hartnett grew up in East Lansdowne with three siblings. He went from the Coast Guard to the police academy, according to 6ABC.

He said the officer was in his cruiser in West Philadelphia when the shooter approached from the sidewalk and began firing, eventually shooting through the driver's-side window as he got closer

'I'm bleeding heavily!' Hartnett shouted into his police radio when he called in to report shots fired

'Jesse you're a super hero,' his sister-in-law Ashley Hartnett wrote on Facebook today.

'My brother in law, a police officer in West Philadelphia, was shot at 13 times point blank while sitting in his patrol car at a red light last night … But it's harder than that to take down a Hartnett.'

Police said they will not be releasing video of the attack out of respect for the officer and his family.

Jim Kenney, in his first week as mayor of the nation's fifth-largest city, said, 'There are just too many guns on the streets, and I think our national government needs to do something about that.'

His statement comes on the heels of President Barack Obama's announcement Tuesday of his plan to tighten gun control laws.

U.S. officials have been on high security alert following a series of Islamic State-linked attacks at home and abroad over the last few months.

In November, gunman and suicide bombers affiliated with Islamic State killed 130 people in a series of coordinated attacks in Paris. Last month a married couple fatally shot 14 people in San Bernardino, California, in an attack inspired by Islamic State militants.

Those concerns have led to calls by some Republican governors and presidential hopefuls to restrict the admission of Syrian refugees fleeing that country's long civil war.