Maurice Hill, the 36-year-old convicted felon who exchanged gunfire with Philadelphia police during a seven-hour standoff on Wednesday, August 14 which left six officers injured, was a man with a lengthy criminal history including previous gun convictions, according to reports, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
According to the report, Hill has been arrested 12 times since turning 18 with six convictions and time in federal prison.
Hill has previously been convicted of illegal possession of guns, drug dealing, and aggravated assault while beating charges like kidnapping and attempted murder. He has also previously been charged with escaping, fleeing from police, and resisting arrest.
One of his most recent arrests came in October 2014 when he was booked on charges of drug possession and false imprisonment.
From the report:
According to court filings, his accuser told police she had agreed to sell marijuana for Hill but then later changed her mind. When he summoned her to his house on the 6900 block of Greenway Street in Southwest Philadelphia days later, she says, she overheard Hill and an associate discussing killing her. Fearful for her life, the woman said, she called 911. When officers arrived, she fled as Hill and his associate hid the crack cocaine and marijuana in a tire out back. Investigators discovered 83 grams of marijuana.
Because of his previous arrests and as a felon, Hill was legally barred from possessing a firearm.
However, following the shooting, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney continued to call for more gun control to protect the officers.
“Our officers need help. They need help with gun control. They need help with keeping weapons out of these people’s hands,” Kenney said. “This government, federal and state’s level, doesn’t want to do anything about getting these guns off the streets and getting them out of the hands of criminals.”
For his role in the Philadelphia shooting, Hill is expected to be charged with six counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault, and illegal possession of a firearm by a felon.
