Officer to be fired after leaving scene of deadly hit-and-run crash in Philadelphia: Commissioner

PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia police officer will be dismissed after an internal affairs investigation concluded that he failed to render necessary aid to a man who fell into the street and was eventually run over by a car.

Officer suspended, fired

What's New?:

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel on Monday announced the officer, a 2-year member of the department, has been suspended for 30 days with intent to dismiss. 

Bethel said the officer did not uphold the officer's code of ethics, which he says includes protecting the community and safeguarding lives and property. The identity of the officer has not been released.

"I can't train compassion, I can't train empathy," Bethel told reporters. "Unfortunately, there are times when individuals may not exhibit those qualities and as a result of that they can no longer be serving in this police department."

Hit-and-run, internal affairs investigation

What we know:

Police say the deadly hit-and-run happened during the early morning hours of August 27 on the 5500 block of Rising Sun Avenue in the city's Olney section.

First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford said police were first notified about the fatal crash by the medical examiner's office hours after it happened, leading investigators to pull security camera videos from nearby businesses and city cameras.

Footage shows the victim walking with an "unsteady gait" in the bike lane on Rising Sun Avenue around 1:40 a.m. when a Philadelphia police officer stops to speak with him. Investigators say the man fell to the ground during the encounter, lying partially in the bike lane and the roadway.

The officer pulls in front of the victim and exits their vehicle, continuing to speak with the victim as he lay on the ground. Stanford says the officer eventually returned to his vehicle and drove away, leaving the man lying in the roadway. 

With the officer gone, a passerby then walks over to the victim and has a brief conversation before leaving him behind. That's when police say an oncoming vehicle sees the victim in the road and stops, and another vehicle goes around the stopped car and strikes the victim.

The passerby and another person who saw the crash rushed over to pull the man out of the road and call for help. Stanford said the officer from the initial encounter was first to respond, and did not file a police report. 

"What we can see on video doesn't fall in line with our policies as a police department," Stanford said. "Very troubling to see there's an officer that responds to this location and fails to render any type of aid prior to the individual being struck by that vehicle."

Vehicle located, driver ID'd

Dig deeper:

Police have since located the hit-and-run car, and have identified the alleged driver, according to police.

No charges have been filed as of this writing, and the suspected driver has not been publicly identified.