Levon Warner arrested for the killing of a Philadelphia officer during a robbery

Philadelphia police announced just before 8 a.m. Sunday that one person was arrested for the killing of a Philadelphia officer during a robbery, and they have the warrant to arrest another person.During a news conference late Sunday morning, Philadelphia Police released more names linked to the murder of Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski.The man in custody and charged with robbery, murder and other crimes has been identified as 38-year-old Levon Warner. Police are trying to find 34-year-old Eric DeShawn Floyd. Investigators say he recently escaped from a halfway house in Reading, Pa., and he should be considered armed and dangerous.
A third suspect, now identified as 33-year-old Howard Cain, was shot and killed during a confrontation with Philadelphia Police.Liczbinski, 39 years old and serving in the 24th District, encountered suspects from the holdup of a Bank of America branch inside the Shop Rite located at 3547 Aramingo Avenue around 11:26 a.m. Saturday. On the 2500 block of E. Schiller Street, Liczbinski found a dark-colored Jeep that the suspects used to get away. At least one of the suspects drew an assault-type weapon and fired shots at Liczbinski, fatally wounding the officer.Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey told reporters, "It is my understanding that he was either in the car or had just gotten out of the car at the time he was struck."Sgt. Liczbinski was shot three times, suffering wounds to the face and abdomen. He was rushed to Northeastern Hospital then transferred to Temple University Hospital, where he later died.A short time later officers spotted the suspects inside a van in the 500 block of E. Louden Street. One suspect, now identified as Cain, was shot and later died at Einstein Medical Center. Crime scene investigators collected a weapon, an SKS assault rifle, from the sidewalk near the van. The gun was loaded with 25 rounds.Warner had initially reported a Town and Country minivan stolen. The minivan reported stolen by Werner is the minivan that police recovered along the 500 block of E. Louden Street. Inside the van, police found a fully-loaded revolver, 2 sets of Muslim clothing about $38,000 in cash and 2 GPS tracking devices. Nearby, next to a trash can, police also found another fully-loaded gun and more clothing that was linked to the initial bank robbery.During the night Saturday, police were engaged in an all-out manhunt for the suspect or suspects that got away. SWAT teams went door to door searching for the cop killers.
Police are now looking into possible links between the suspects in this crime and other robberies in the city in which the perpetrators were wearing Muslim clothing.
During their investigation, along the 3400 block of North Miller Street, police found a Jeep that had been reported stolen Friday. This is the vehicle was the Jeep involved in the shooting death of Officer Liczbinski, according to police.
Liczbinski, a 12-year veteran of the department, was recently promoted to the rank of sergeant. He would have celebrated his 40th birthday this coming Tuesday, May 6th. Liczbinski is survived by his wife Michele, sons Matt and Stephen, and daughter Amber.

Posted in: Philadelphia