SandyMalonePhiladelphia, PA – A gunman who shot a Philadelphia police officer in an ISIS-inspired attack was convicted on Thursday.
A jury made up of nine women and three men deliberated for less than three hours and found Edward Archer, 32, guilty of attempted murder and aggravated assault for shooting Philadelphia Police Officer Jesse Hartnett in west Philadelphia in January of 2016, The Inquirer reported.
The incident occurred late on the evening of Jan. 7, 2016, when Archer waved down Officer Hartnett as though he were in distress.
Archer, dressed in a white robe usually worn by Muslim men, approached the police car as the officer slowed down. He first fired through the car’s window, and then reached through the window to continue firing bullets at the police officer.
Despite having been shot multiple times in the left arm, Officer Hartnett was able to exit his car and shoot Archer as he fled.
In the hospital, Archer told police he pledged allegiance to ISIS. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the shooting as a terrorist attack, but could find no evidence to back up the claim.
Archer was never charged with terrorism because investigators said they could find no indication Archer had coordinated the attack with a terrorist organization, The Inquirer reported.
No motive was revealed during the course of the trial because Archer refused to cooperate with or speak to his court-appointed attorneys, Trevan Borum and Michael Coard.
Attorney Michael Coard has openly celebrated the assassination of Dallas Police Officers.
Newly-elected District Attorney Larry Krasner appointed Coard to his transition team, according to The Inquirer.
The Inquirer reported that Borum tried to have Archer declared incompetent to stand trial, but Common Pleas Judge Leon W. Tucker ruled that Archer knew what was going on and was just being uncooperative.
Officer Hartnett suffered severe arm damage as a result of the shooting, and spent two weeks in the hospital, WPVI reported. The 36-year-old officer has undergone 11 surgeries and had a metal plate inserted into his elbow.
The optimistic officer, who recently married and had a baby, has continued to work on therapy and remained hopeful he will be able to overcome his physical limitations and return to active duty with the Philadelphia police force, he told The Inquirer.
“This is the profession I chose,” Officer Hartnett said. “This is the profession I love.”
Archer was scheduled for sentencing in May.
You can see the video of the shooting below: