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Liczbinski, 39, a Burholme resident, husband and father of three, was the first officer to spot a blue Jeep Liberty occupied by the suspected robbers moments after they allegedly held up a Bank of America branch inside the Shop Rite supermarket at 3547 Aramingo Ave. at 11:26 a.m.
According to police and witness accounts, Liczbinski — of the 24th district — tailed the bandits to Almond and East Schiller, where the getaway car stopped and at least one of the suspects got out and repeatedly fired a Chinese-manufactured SKS assault rifle at the oncoming officer. The men then fled in the Jeep.
Witnesses said that Liczbinski suffered multiple wounds of the torso and arm.
"The cop was out of the car and the next thing I know, I see the passenger — he was a big guy — from the Jeep get out and hold the gun over the Jeep at the officer and ‘bang, bang, bang,’" said witness Dixie Widing. "He never had a chance."
Detectives believe that the gunman fired five of the high-powered rounds at Liczbinski. When they later recovered the weapon, it had a 30-round magazine with 25 rounds still in it.
"We just piled towels on top of him and tried to stop the bleeding as best we could, really," said one neighbor, Eric Krajewski. "Just tried to do anything to help him."
Civilians and arriving police put Liczbinski in a patrol car. He was taken first to nearby Northeastern Hospital and later transferred to Temple University Hospital, where he died that afternoon.
"His last moments, when we were putting him in the car, he said, ‘Tell my wife and kids that I love them,’" recalled witness Joseph Farrell. "That was the last words I heard out of his mouth."
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While the three suspects fled the scene in the Liberty, they soon abandoned the stolen vehicle on the 3400 block of N. Miller St., police said. One of the alleged bandits and Floyd’s roommate, 33-year-old Howard Cain, hopped into a Chrysler minivan that reportedly belonged to Warner.
Other officers responding to the robbery and shooting tracked the minivan and cornered it on the 500 block of E. Louden St. in Feltonville, thanks to a global positioning system transmitter hidden amongst the cash by bank employees.
A member of the police department’s K-9 unit shot and killed Cain as the suspect allegedly pointed the assault rifle at him, police said. Cain was the lone person in the minivan. Detectives believe he was the one who fired the shots that killed Liczbinski.
In addition to the assault rifle, police allegedly recovered from the minivan about $40,000 cash, a loaded .44-caliber revolver, two disguises of Muslim burkas allegedly used by the robbers during the robbery and the bank’s GPS transmitter.
Officers stopped the third suspect in the heist and murder, Levon Warner, 39, of the 5400 block of Westminster St., nearby. He initially claimed that his minivan had been stolen, police said, but investigators soon discounted that story and linked him to the bank heist.
Warner reportedly confessed to his involvement while in police custody. He was arraigned Sunday on charges of murder, robbery, criminal conspiracy and related offenses and ordered held without bail. He is scheduled for a May 14 preliminary hearing.
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Liczbinski, a 12-year police veteran who would have turned 40 on Tuesday, is survived by his wife Michelle and three children, Matt, Stephen and Amber.
Viewings for the slain officer are scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, at John F. Givnish Funeral Home, 10975 Academy Road, and at 7:30 a.m. Friday at the Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul, 18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Both are open to family, police, friends and the public.
The funeral Mass will be held at noon Friday. Burial will be at Resurrection Cemetery, 5201 Hulmeville Road, Bensalem.
A memorial fund to benefit the Liczbinski family is being administered by the Police and Fire Federal Credit Union for the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5. Contributions can be delivered to PFFCU, 901 Arch St., or any of the credit union’s branches, as well as the 24th Police District, 3901 Whitaker Ave., or the 4th Police District, 1301 S. 11th St.
Liczbinski became the third Philadelphia officer killed in the line of duty in two years. All were shot while responding to robberies in progress.
On May 8, 2006, Officer Gary Skerski of the 15th district in the Northeast was wounded fatally as he walked into a robbery at Pat’s Café in Northwood. The man who fired the deadly shotgun blast, Solomon Montgomery, pleaded guilty to the murder and is serving a life sentence in state prison.
Skerski, 46, of Port Richmond, was to be honored with a memorial plaque dedication outside of Pat’s Cafe on Wednesday morning, marking the two-year anniversary of that shooting. He is survived by his wife, Anne, son Robert, 15, and daughter Nicole, 12.
Last Oct. 31, a robber armed with a handgun fatally shot Officer Chuck Cassidy of the 35th district as Cassidy walked into a Dunkin’ Donuts in West Oak Lane. The alleged killer, John "Jordan" Lewis, 21, of the 800 block of W. Roosevelt Blvd., fled to Miami where he was captured a week after the shooting. Lewis publicly confessed to the crime and awaits trial for murder, robbery and related offenses. A trial date has not been set.
Cassidy, 54, a 25-year police veteran and Holme Circle resident, is survived by his wife Judy, daughters Katie and Colby, and son John.
Since Liczbinski’s killing, Mayor Nutter, Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey and District Attorney Lynne Abraham have intensified their calls for stronger gun control laws in the state and city.
Abraham said that investigators believe that the assault rifle used in Liczbinski’s murder was bought legally in Fayetteville, N.C., in 1996. It is not known how the officer’s alleged killers obtained it.
"(Assault rifles) only have one purpose. It’s to kill other human beings," Abraham said.
"Part of what we’re trying to do is get these off the streets," Ramsey said.
Nutter called upon the community to rally around the Liczbinski family in their time of despair.
"Wrap our arms around them. Keep them in our prayers," Nutter said. "They will need our ongoing help and support as we grapple with what has happened."
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David Mockus, former commander of the 24th Police District, had fond memories of the slain lawman.
"He came here in November, and he had just been promoted to sergeant," said Mockus. "He did a hell of a job, and he got a lot of respect from the troops, from the community and from me. He was an extremely active officer."
Mockus said officers from the 24th district are "very upset" about the incident, though their efforts are still focused on capturing Floyd. "Everyone is taking it pretty tough around here, but we’ve got everyone working to find the suspect.
"It was a cold, calculated act, and Steve was basically assassinated," said Mockus.
He described the assault rifle as "exactly the type of weapon" that Philadelphia police want off the streets.
"Basically, the only purpose for owning that gun is to kill people," said Mockus, who was uncertain if Liczbinski was wearing body armor at the time of the incident.
The Port Richmond community acted "heroically," Mockus said, adding that local police appreciate their continued support.
"We got a lot of support from the community all through this," said Mockus. "The community did everything they humanly could, from sitting there with (Liczbinski) right after he was hit, to the two guys who rode with him to the hospital. I don’t want anyone second-guessing themselves."
The captain, whose six-year tenure in the district came to an end this week, does not think the robbery and Liczbinski’s death reflect an increase in violent crime in Port Richmond.
"It was a planned robbery, and it seemed like they knew what they were doing," said Mockus. "This robbery could have been planned anywhere, including the suburbs."
Mockus’ departure was unrelated to Liczbinski’s slaying and was part of a citywide reorganization announced last week. ••
Reporter Brian Rademaekers contributed to this article.
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com