After deadly shooting spree in Philadelphia, 'rambling' note is found voicing hatred for police

The chaos overnight is reminder of killings of police in Dallas and Baton Rouge

The gunman was eventually shot and killed by police after a chase on foot iStock

After a wild shooting spree on the streets of Philadelphia on Friday night that left a gunman and one woman dead and three others wounded, the authorities said on Saturday that they had found a “rambling” note expressing hatred for the police.

The city’s Police Commissioner, Richard Ross, said officers had found the note at the scene of the deadly rampage that police believe was written by the gunman, who has not been identified. The document expressed disgust for law enforcement generally and named one probation officer.

Commissioner Ross called the eruption of violence that began after 11pm on Friday “completely bizarre” and said he thought that the gunman, who was shot and killed by police officers after he fled into an alley, had acted alone.

“We have a lot of unanswered questions ... This is a completely bizarre situation,“ Mr Ross said of the chaotic sequence of events in Philadelphia. The gunman was “driven by hatred,” police spokesman John Stanford said on Twitter.

The incident came after a summer of tension in several US cities as police forces have come under attack, both verbal and physical, in the wake of several killings of unarmed citizens by police officers. In Dallas, a lone sniper shot and killed five officers on a single night in July during protests against the deaths of black men at the hands of police.

Soon after the Dallas tragedy, three police officers were ambushed and killed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Three others were wounded by the shooter who had associated himself with black separatist groups. He was killed later by officers of SWAT team in a shoot-out.

The chaos in Philadelphia first erupted after the gunman ambushed Sgt Sylvia Young while she was sitting in a patrol car on a city street, shooting her a number of times in the arm and also striking her protective vest with several bullets. The officer, who is 19-years-old, was in stable condition in hospital on Saturday.

“He just walks up on her ... He just fired. He didn't say anything,” Mr Ross told a news conference on Saturday, saying the suspect fired about 15 rounds into Sgt Young’s vehicle.

Afterwards, the gunman fled and later began shooting into a bar, hitting one security guard in the leg. He also grabbed a woman at the bar and used her as a human shield also shooting her in the leg, according to the Commissioner.

Before he was eventually chased into the alley and brought down, the gunman also fired into a passing car, killing a woman and critically wounding a man.

Mayor Jim Kenney praised officers and pleaded with them to follow Sgt Young’s example and wear protective vests. “Thank you for what you do for us every day, and please, please, please, every shift, please wear your vest,” he said. “They will save your life, as we saw tonight.”

The three wounded civilians and another wounded police officer were all in stable condition, police officials added.