Police Officer George V. Jacobs

George V. Jacobs

Police Officer George Jacobs was shot and killed, and his partner was critically wounded by one of three men during a traffic stop on Snyder Avenue, near Broad Street.

At 3:30 a.m., the two officers witnessed a driver running a red light. Officer Jacobs asked the driver, who had exited the vehicle, for his driver's license and registration. While reaching for his license, a 22-year-old subject in the car pulled out a gun and fired at both officers. The driver returned to the car and drove away.

Five teenagers who were entering a nearby diner witnessed the entire incident. As the suspects fled, two witnesses chased them on foot, while a third witness used the police radio to call for help. Officer Jacobs and his partner were transported to St. Agnes Hospital, where Officer Jacobs succumbed to his wounds.

The suspects crashed their car into a fence in front of a nursing home at 2025 Snyder Avenue and fled on foot. One was later apprehended, and the driver turned himself in. Police engaged in gunfire with the 22-year-old shooter after they trapped him on a house rooftop. He was shot twice and injured more when he fell off the rooftop.

The suspect was charged with murder. His two companions, age 17, were charged with accessory after the fact. The suspect was determined to be incompetent, unable to stand trial, and sent to a mental institution. In 1976, he was deemed fit to stand trial, convicted of second-degree murder, and sentenced to 10 to 20 years.

Officer Jacobs was a United States Marine Corps Veteran and served with the Philadelphia Police Department for three months, assigned to the 11th and Wharton Streets station. He was survived by his wife and three children.