The murder trial for a former Philly police officer accused of killing an unarmed Black man in December 2017 begins today. It's the first in city history for an on-duty killing by a cop, according to the District Attorney's office.
"According to this presentment, Eric Ruch killed Dennis Plowden while on duty, by firing his gun directly at Plowden’s head as Plowden sat on the ground with his left empty hand raised and clearly visible," District Attorney Larry Krasner said in October 2020.
Minutes earlier, it was 8:30 p.m. on that 2017 night between Christmas and New Year's Day. Plowden was driving a 2013 Hyundai - which was registered to someone else - on Ogontz Avenue in Germantown, with a 27-year-old woman in the passenger seat.In 2017 and 2018, police told news outlets that Ruch believed the vehicle was connected to a homicide case. But Assistant District Attorney Vincent Corrigan characterized the officer's frame of mind differently in 2020.
After seeing the Hyundai, Ruch radioed in for backup and pursued it. Krasner said the time between that radio call and the fatal shooting of Plowden is about two minutes and 19 seconds.