Former Philly police officer charged with murder in 2017 shooting of an unarmed Black man
https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-police-officer-charged-murder-shooting-2017-20201009.html
Former Philly police officer charged with murder in 2017 shooting of an unarmed Black man
by William Bender, Mensah M. Dean and Chris Palmer, Updated: October 9, 2020- 2:07 PM
A former Philadelphia police officer was charged Friday with murder in the death of an unarmed Black man on an East Germantown sidewalk.
Officer Eric Ruch Jr. shot 25-year-old Dennis Plowden Jr. following a high-speed car chase in December 2017.
Ruch fired one bullet through Plowdens upraised hand that tore into his head, according to a grand jury presentment. Plowden, sitting on a sidewalk, did not have a weapon.
Following an internal investigation of the shooting, Ruch, who had been an officer for 10 years, was terminated from the police force in October 2018. The criminal investigation took another two years to conclude, partially due to delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
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