Fired police officer charged in Port Richmond killing
Monday, February 8th, 2010
By: Elizabeth Fiedler
efiedler@whyy.org
Frank Tepper
Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams is pressing murder charges against a former Philadelphia police officer. District Attorney Williams announced the charges today in the shooting death of a 21-year old Port Richmond man.
Former Philadelphia Police Officer Frank Tepper is charged with murder and related charges in connection with the shooting of William "Billy" Panas Jr.
Tepper has said his decision to fire was an act of self-defense following a neighborhood scuffle just feet from the officer's front door.
More than one hundred people marched around Philadelphia City Hall last week demanding Tepper be put behind bars.
District Attorney Seth Williams says he will take a hard and honest look at allegations against police officers.
Williams: The public demands that we apply the same standard of justice to every case regardless of the status of the victim or the defendant and I have imposed that standard here.
Williams declined to discuss the specifics of the case.
Officer Tepper's lawyer could not be immediately reached for comment but said recently that Tepper's shooting of Panas appears to have been justified.