Philadelphia officer left man in street moments before fatal hit-and-run, police say
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- An officer left a man in the street moments before that man was struck and killed in a hit-and-run crash, Philadelphia police said.
Investigations are now underway into both the fatality and the officer's actions immediately beforehand.
It happened around 1:40 a.m. Thursday on the 5500 block of Rising Sun Avenue in the city's Olney section.
During a news conference on Friday afternoon, First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford said it all began when the officer encountered the 48-year-old man walking in the bike lane with an "unsteady gait."
Surveillance video shows the officer talking to the man from inside the vehicle when the man falls down, Stanford said.
The man ends up lying partially in the bike lane and partially in the lane for vehicle travel.
The officer then gets out of the vehicle and begins talking to the man, then gets back in the vehicle and drives away, Stanford said.
Surveillance video shows a vehicle approaching a few moments later, Stanford said, but the driver stops after possibly seeing something in the road.
That's when another driver goes around that vehicle and hits the man in the street, killing him. The driver of that vehicle failed to stop and is now being sought by police.
The striking vehicle is described as a 2023 to 2026 green Kia Sportage X9 with black and chrome rims. It was last seen turning eastbound onto Tabor Avenue.
The first officer to respond to the scene was the very same one who left him in the street minutes earlier. Investigators say, the officer didn't render aid, and never even filed a police report.
While that hit-and-run investigation is underway, Stanford said an internal affairs investigation is also underway over the officer's actions.
Stanford called the incident "troubling," saying that it "goes against everything that we stand for."
"We talk about empathy. We talk about compassion as an organization, and none of those things were on display," Stanford continued.
The officer has been removed from street duty, Stanford said.
Investigators are still trying to make contact with the family of the man who was killed.
Stanford said there were other passersby in the area, including one person who apparently talked to the man after the officer but before the crash.
Anyone with information can call or text Philadelphia police at 215-686-TIPS (8477) or submit an anonymous tip online.
