A jury found former Philadelphia officer Eric Ruch Jr. guilty of manslaughter and possession of an instrument of crime in the 2017 shooting.
Former Philadelphia officer Eric Ruch Jr. Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Police Department via AP
A jury on Wednesday convicted former Philadelphia officer Eric Ruch Jr. of voluntary manslaughter and a weapons charge in the city's first murder trial for an on-duty police killing in nearly four decades.Ruch, 34, was found not guilty of third-degree murder in the 2017 shooting of 25-year-old Dennis Plowden Jr. following a car chase.The last time a murder charge against a Philadelphia officer made it to trial was back in 1984, according to a detailed analysis by.
Ruch's case is one of three brought against former officers since Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner took office in 2018.The jury deliberated for three days before finding Ruch, who is white, guilty of manslaughter and possession of an instrument of crime in the fatal shooting of Plowden, who was Black, on Dec. 27, 2017.
Prosecutors said during closing arguments that Plowden was unarmed and surrendering when he was shot. Ruch took the stand and told jurors he feared for his life when he opened fire, thinking Plowden was reaching for a gun.
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