A white former police officer is on trial in Philadelphia over the fatal 2017 shooting of a Black motorist
This undated photo provided by Philadelphia Police Department shows former Philadelphia police Officer Eric Ruch Jr., charged with first-degree murder, Oct. 9, 2020 in the 2017 shooting of a Black man after a high-speed car chase. Ruch Jr. became"distraught” when he learned that the Black motorist he fatally shot did not have a gun in his pocket, his lawyer said as the ex-officer’s third-degree murder trial began Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022.
However, defense lawyer David Mischak told jurors that Plowden’s right hand remained hidden near a pocket. Only later, he said, did Ruch learn what was inside. He urged jurors to consider not just what happened in the six seconds at the scene, but the two-minute chase beforehand. Police thought the car was linked to a recent homicide. Plowden, who had borrowed the car and was not involved in that case, drove at high speed for several blocks through a city neighborhood before crashing.
Ruch is one of three city police officers facing murder charges filed by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner over their on-duty actions. In his case, the jury will also weigh voluntary manslaughter and a weapons charge.