"The mind-set of the two officers at that point, I don't know. We'll let the chips fall where they may," Police Commissioner Sylvester M. Johnson said yesterday as he promised full and separate investigations by the department's Internal Affairs Bureau and the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office.
What is clear is that Shwarz and his partner, John Loisch, responded to a domestic disturbance at 12:55 p.m. at Timbers' home in the 600 block of Brill Street, where the fatal shot was fired.
Both sides agree the shooting followed a confrontation between Timbers and his mother; the teen had been wielding a knife and hammer before he ran to the second floor of the rowhouse.
At some point, police and the family also agree, a clothing iron became part of the equation.
Police say the teen was uncontrollable and used the iron as a weapon as he charged at them.
Family members say the teen was holding the iron as he paced back and forth on the second floor and never tried to go downstairs.
Johnson said he would neither condemn nor justify the actions of Shwarz or his partner until the investigations were completed.
In a news conference yesterday afternoon, Johnson said that as the officers had arrived, they heard a disturbance in the house.
"They go in because they hear hollering and screaming and 'Help me! Help me!' " Johnson said.
The teen was on top of his mother, who managed to get the 7-inch serrated knife and a hammer away from her son, Johnson said.
She was not seriously injured, and her son scurried up the stairs and grabbed an iron, he said.
Demonstrating what happened, Johnson raised his hand over his head to show how the teen allegedly had held the iron as he charged the officers. The teen's mother, Yvonne Young, was curled up in the fetal position on the floor near police, he said.
