Man Charged with Attempted Murder of Two Police Officers, Other Felonies After Shootout in Upper Providence
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele announces the arrest of David Naumenko, 62, of Mont Clare, on multiple felonies including attempted murder after he shot multiple times at police officers during the March 16, 2022 incident at the Meadows Apartments in Upper Providence Township.
The incident began at 2:59 a.m. when the 911 operator dispatched Upper Providence Police to a call from a family member about a behavioral/psychiatric emergency. The caller reported that Naumenko was having a mental breakdown, “has guns” and was leaving their residence, but he was “harmless.”
The investigation of the incident by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau included numerous interviews, review of bodycam footage, police vehicle video and processing the extensive crime scene. The investigation found that the first arriving Upper Providence police officer located the white Silverado pickup truck with Naumenko and his wife, Katharine, in the passenger seat. The officer exited his marked police vehicle with its lights activated and approached on foot, calling to Naumenko, “What’s going on?” The officer continued to approach the truck saying, “You all right?” The officer saw Naumenko lean into the vehicle, and the officer ran for cover as Naumenko stood up and began firing at the officer, who was only a few feet away from him. The elapsed time from “What’s going on?” to shots being fired by Naumenko was nine seconds. Naumenko fired multiple shots in quick succession. One grazed the back of the police officer’s uniform and struck his radio cord, disabling his police radio.
After the initial encounter, Naumenko drove his truck down Meadowview Lane and encountered a second Upper Providence Police vehicle arriving. He fired shots at the vehicle, striking it several times. The officer exited the police vehicle and sought cover behind other vehicles. The second Upper Providence police officer called for backup as well as called to Katharine Naumenko to come to him, securing her safety. Naumenko continued shooting at the officers at this location, but they maintained cover and did not return fire.
A Limerick Township Police Corporal arrived as shots continued to be fired by Naumenko. The Limerick officer was able to access a second-story apartment and had opened a window to visually locate Naumenko when he was fired upon. As the defendant reloaded his weapon, the Limerick officer was able to sight him and took one shot, hitting Naumenko in the upper right arm, causing him to fall to the ground. Members of the Montgomery County S.W.A.T. Western Region observed Naumenko lying in a grassy area, issued commands to the defendant who did not respond. S.W.A.T. officers moved in and took Naumenko into custody, where he was treated by EMS and transported to the hospital for treatment.
Multiple firearms and boxes of ammunition were found by detectives in the interior and the bed of Naumenko’s truck as well as at his residence. Some of the firearms were legally registered to Naumenko; others came back as “no record found.” Naumenko does not have a permit to carry firearms.
“Police officers are called to help day in and day out and never know what situation they will encounter upon arrival. This defendant began firing at the first arriving officer almost immediately and then continued firing multiple rounds, endangering the lives of not only the officers but many others who live in the area,” said Steele. “Thankfully, the Upper Providence and Limerick police officers are well trained, and they reacted quickly and courageously at every point in this incident. Most importantly, every officer came out of this incident uninjured and were able to go home to their families, and the defendant is also alive, suffering only an arm injury.”
Naumenko was arrested and charged with two counts of Attempted Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer, Assault of Law Enforcement Officer, Aggravated Assault, Risking Catastrophe and other related charges. He was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Deborah Lukens, who set bail at $2 million cash. The defendant was unable to post bail and was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m., March 25, 2022, before Magisterial District Judge Richard H. Welsh.
CRIMINAL CHARGES, AND ANY DISCUSSION THEREOF, ARE MERELY ALLEGATIONS AND ALL DEFENDANTS ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL AND UNLESS PROVEN GUILTY.
