Inquirer.com – Zurich DR

Category: Crime & Justice

  • Investigative report criticizes Quakertown police chief for role in anti-ICE clash with student protesters

    Investigative report criticizes Quakertown police chief for role in anti-ICE clash with student protesters

    An investigative review of the February clash between student anti-ICE protesters and Quakertown police sharply criticized Police Chief Scott McElree for his “calamitous” decision to charge into the crowd of demonstrators.

    The 20 page review, ordered by by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, however did not call for any new criminal charges against either the protesters or police.

    “The investigation established that the precipitating factor that led to violence was Chief McElree’s decision to swiftly enter an agitated crowd of teenagers while wearing plain clothes, with no visible badge, uniform, body-worn camera, or handcuffs,” the investigative report said.

    “This decision created a ‘fog of war’ where students — believing that an unidentified vigilante was attacking them — acted to defend themselves or others, while police officers, seeing McElree attacked, acted lawfully to stop and arrest people who were assaulting a police officer,” the report said.

    McElree’s “ill-advised decision to do so was the precipitating incident which led to violence,” the report said.

    Quakertown Police Chief Scott McElree.Courtesy of Bucks Back the Blue

    Five teens were initially charged with aggravated assault as well as misdemeanor offenses, but all the aggravated assault charges were eventually dropped. Prosecutors have since struck diversion-program deals with the teens.

    The clash between the students and police on Feb. 20 was captured on video by onlookers and circulated widely online. One video showed McElree grappling with a boy on the sidewalk. Another captured the 72-year-old McElree with his arm around a teen girl’s neck.

    The Quakertown Police Department had sought additional charges against juveniles for allegedly assaulting McElree, who also holds the position of borough manager, but the District Attorney’s Office announced Monday that it has denied the request.

    Officials said McElree had sought medical care after the clash for injuries that included fractured ribs. He also took worker’s compensation leave for several weeks before returning to work in May.

    A panel of area police chiefs later cleared McElree of wrongdoing following a review of the case.

    A spokesperson for Quakertown Borough could not be reached for comment Monday evening.

    The investigative report also placed blame on some of the students.

    “The truth is that while most students protested lawfully, some broke the law. While most protestors and observers did not recognize McElree as a police officer at first, a few students assaulted police officers in uniform and assaulted McElree even after it should have become evident that he was with the” Quakertown Police Deparment,” the report said.

    Investigators also looked at allegations that McElree was ideologically hostile to the anti-ICE protest and had tried to stop it from happening.

    The investigation “found no evidence to support these claims,” the report said.

    Ettore Angelo, a lawyer for one of the teens who was charged, said in a statement Tuesday that the police chief should have faced more consequences for his actions.

    “My client was incarcerated for four days, on house arrest for 28 days, has been vilified in the community, has been harassed in school, and has faced trauma and turmoil no 15-year-old should ever have to endure. She is a remarkable child, and I am very proud of her, as are her parents,” Angelo said.

    “She did not deserve this, nor did the other kids. Meanwhile, Chief McElree ends up with no consequences. Apparently, even when not wearing a badge or uniform, he can manhandle children with impunity,” Angelo said.

    District Attorney Joe Khan said in a statement that he and members of his staff will “engage in conversations with the Quakertown community” over the next 45 days and then release recommendations “about how to move forward to help heal these rifts.”

    Khan also said it was important to remember the events leading up to the Quakertown protest.

    “Kids across Bucks County, including my own, learned of the horror of civilians like Renee Goode and Alex Pretti being shot and killed in the streets of Minneapolis by ICE and Border Protection agents,” Khan said.

    “Young people witnessed their immigrant neighbors living in fear. Bucks County students raised their voices and spoke up about the grievous injustices they saw,” Khan said.

    “It’s true that some students broke the law, though most protested and exercised their First amendment rights peacefully. It’s also true that the police chief made terrible mistakes even as most officers acted with professionalism and restraint that day,” Khan said.

    “The heavy-handed actions of ICE nationwide have caused stress between law enforcement and the communities they serve. We saw that reflected in so much of the footage we reviewed of the protest. For many folks, it was traumatic to see front page images of a law enforcement officer with his arm around the neck of a teenage girl who was protesting ICE. That is why it is important for our office to explain our findings and to engage the community in a meaningful dialogue in the weeks ahead,” Khan said.

    The investigative review was assigned to the Special Investigative Unit of the district attorney’s office, with prosecutors and detectives who had no ties to Quakertown or any involvement in the delinquency proceedings against the five juveniles.

    County detectives conducted more than two dozen interviews over the course of five months. The interviews included 22 civilian witnesses, including four juveniles who could not be interviewed until after their prosecutions had been resolved. The last interview took place last week.

  • DA Larry Krasner to appeal overturned murder conviction in 2012 killing of Philly cop Moses Walker Jr.

    DA Larry Krasner to appeal overturned murder conviction in 2012 killing of Philly cop Moses Walker Jr.

    District Attorney Larry Krasner on Tuesday said he strongly disagreed with a judge’s decision to overturn the murder conviction of a man who killed Philadelphia Police Officer Moses Walker Jr. in 2012 and vowed to appeal.

    Krasner said Common Pleas Court Judge Jennifer Schultz, who handed down the ruling Monday, was “legally incorrect” in vacating the conviction of Rafael Jones, who is serving life in prison for killing the officer during a street robbery at the end of his shift.

    In deciding that Jones deserved a new trial, Schultz cited the case’s connection to disgraced ex-homicide detective Philip Nordo, who was convicted in 2022 of sexually abusing witnesses and suspects for more than a decade.

    But Krasner, speaking at a news conference alongside Walker’s mother and Roosevelt Poplar, president of Lodge 5 of the Fraternal Order of Police, said Jones’ conviction was different from others involving Nordo that have since been reevaluated.

    “We believe now that Rafael Jones is guilty — that he murdered Moses Walker Jr.,” Krasner said.

    If the appellate court denies the district attorney’s appeal, he added, “we will be retrying this case. We have a lot of evidence to do so. And we will be retrying it vigorously.”

    Jones’ attorney, Jason Edward Parris, said Tuesday afternoon that the vacated conviction represented justice.

    If jurors heard Jones’ case today, Parris said, they would have information about Nordo’s sex abuse crimes involving informants in homicide investigations that was not available at the time of Jones’ trial.

    “I don’t think anybody should be comfortable with someone serving life in prison based in part on an investigation done by an officer who is now doing 49 years [in prison] for crimes committed during the investigation of this case,” Parris said.

    Walker, 40, was shot and killed shortly before dawn on Aug. 18, 2012.

    The officer had just left the 22nd District station in North Philadelphia dressed in civilian clothes when Jones and another man, Chancier McFarland, targeted him in a robbery, prosecutors said.

    Jones fired at Walker after the officer reached for his gun, according to prosecutors. Both men were arrested, and McFarland pleaded guilty and testified against Jones as part of a deal to avoid life in prison.

    Years later, during Nordo’s sexual abuse trial in 2022, one of his accusers testified that the detective had steered him toward a $20,000 reward and later raped him.

    Though Krasner acknowledged the “messy history” that came with Nordo’s involvement in Jones’ case, he said the district attorney’s office was confident in the conviction.

    There were multiple pieces of evidence that pointed to Jones’ guilt, he said, including a murder confession that was not introduced at trial because Jones did not testify, and McFarlane’s eyewitness account of the crime.

    “We concluded years ago that this conviction was in the category that should not be disturbed,” Krasner said.

    The district attorney’s office will appeal Schultz’s ruling to Superior Court, a process Krasner said could take up to two years.

    Poplar, the FOP president, said he had faith that Krasner’s office would prevail.

    “Yesterday was a tough day,” he said, echoing comments made by Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, who said he was disappointed by the ruling.

    Walker’s mother, Wayniya, said she and her family “would not allow these latest developments to weaken us.”

    “We remain confident justice will prevail,” she said, adding that she hoped that the death of her son, not the vacated conviction of his killer, would “remain at the center of this case.”

    “No decision rendered can alter what happened on Aug. 18, 2012,” she said.

  • Man killed in West Philly shooting

    Man killed in West Philly shooting

    A man was shot and killed late Monday afternoon in West Philadelphia, police said.

    Just before 5:20 p.m., police responded to a report of a shooting near the intersection of North 54th and Arlington Streets.

    The man, who was not identified, was taken by police to Lankenau Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at 5:36 p.m.

    Police reported no arrests.

  • A new trial is ordered for a man convicted in the slaying of Philly police officer in 2012

    A new trial is ordered for a man convicted in the slaying of Philly police officer in 2012

    A Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge on Monday ordered a new trial for a man serving a life sentence for the death of a police officer in 2012, reportedly citing the connection of disgraced ex-homicide detective Philip Nordo to the case.

    Court records show that Judge Jennifer Schultz vacated the 2014 murder conviction of Rafael Jones, who was sentenced the following year to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the fatal shooting of Officer Moses Walker during a street robbery after the end of his shift on Aug. 18, 2012.

    KYW Newsradio reported the judge cited the case’s connection to Nordo, who was convicted in 2022 of sexually abusing witnesses and suspects.

    During Nordo’s trial, one of his accusers was an informant in the Walker homicide investigation who said Nordo helped steer a $20,000 reward to the man and then, years later, raped him.

    Multiple cases involving Nordo, including murder convictions, have been overturned in recent years.

    District Attorney Larry Krasner said he would address the order for a new trial at a news conference Tuesday.

    Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said in a statement: “I am disappointed by today’s decision, particularly for the family of Officer Moses Walker and every member of this Department who continues to carry his loss.”

    Bethel added: “At the same time, we respect the court and the legal process. We remain confident in the evidence surrounding this case and believe that, when the process is complete, the individual responsible for Officer Walker’s murder will continue to be held accountable and will never again walk free.”

    Jones and Chancier McFarland were arrested during the homicide investigation. McFarland pleaded guilty and testified against Jones as part of a deal with prosecutors to avoid life in prison.

    A lawyer for Jones could not be reached for comment. According to court records Monday, Jones was being held at the State Correctional Institution in Chester City.

    Shortly before dawn on Aug. 18, 2012, the 40-year-old Walker left the 22nd District station at 17th Street and Montgomery Avenue in North Philadelphia dressed in civilian clothes — shorts, athletic jacket, and baseball cap — and carrying a backpack and wearing earphones.

    Walker was targeted, McFarland testified, because he looked like a student from nearby Temple University — “an easy mark.”

    McFarland testified that Jones shot Walker when the officer reached for a weapon.

    After Walker collapsed at Woodstock Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue, McFarland said, he grabbed the officer’s iPod and earphones before taking off.

  • The final defendant was sentenced in the murder of a West Philly Parks and Recreation employee

    The final defendant was sentenced in the murder of a West Philly Parks and Recreation employee

    A third defendant has been sentenced in the death of Tiffany Fletcher, a Philadelphia Parks and Recreation employee who was struck by a stray bullet during a 2022 shooting in West Philly.

    Tevin Kee, 20, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, conspiracy, and gun charges in April. On Monday, he was sentenced to 12½ to 25 years in prison, according to Assistant District Attorney Jeff Hojnowski.

    Fletcher was sweeping outside the Mill Creek Recreation Center where she worked on a September afternoon, when two groups of youths began shooting at each other. Fletcher, caught in the crossfire at 47th and Brown Streets, was struck by a stray bullet in her torso and died. She was 41 years old, and a mother of three.

    The case sparked outrage, as Fletcher’s death came to represent how dangerous Philadelphia had become in the years immediately following the pandemic.

    Tiffany Fletcher (center, yellow tank top) was photographed with lifeguard Robin Borlandoe, 70, (immediate left), assistant recreation leader Charles McKnight (just above Tiffany) and other staff and volunteers at the Mill Creek Recreation Center pool in August 2022.ELIZABETH ROBERTSON / Staff Photographer

    Kee was the final defendant to be sentenced. Two others pleaded guilty to similar charges in the case. In 2024, Makie Jones was sentenced 10 to 20 years, and Malik Flegler was sentenced to 12½ to 25 years. Jones was arrested on the day of the shooting, and Flegler was arrested weeks later.

    But Kee, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was not arrested until last year, at a traffic stop in Lower Pottsgrove Township. All three suspects were teenagers at the time of Fletcher’s death and charged as adults.

    Following Kee’s sentencing, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner made a point to say the legal process in each case was not over. He said each defendant would have parole board hearings once they had served their minimum sentences, and referenced statistics indicating most defendants typically serve greater time than their minimums.

    “Justice wasn’t done,” said Geraldine Fletcher, Tiffany’s mother. She said she wasn’t satisfied with any of the sentences, and said she hoped the three individuals suffered for eternity. Geraldine Fletcher said the family would participate in those parole hearings to share the pain of their loss.

    Until then, Fletcher’s family and community will continue to honor her memory. The Mill Creak Recreation Center and its pool was renamed for Fletcher in 2023, and in April, City Council adopted a resolution to rename the 4700 block of Brown Street, “Tiffany Fletcher Way — Gone But Never Forgotten.”

    A sign at the renamed Tiffany Fletcher Recreation Center (formerly Mill Creek) in West Philadelphia in June 2023.Heather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
  • In a ‘remarkable act of violence,’ a Delco man opened fire at a Walmart checkout, DA says

    In a ‘remarkable act of violence,’ a Delco man opened fire at a Walmart checkout, DA says

    A Clifton Heights man who fired a gun three times in a crowded Walmart, injuring a bystander, has been charged with attempted murder, Delaware County prosecutors said Monday.

    Armani Waite, 21, surrendered to police Monday afternoon, but District Attorney Tanner Rouse said investigators had identified him almost immediately after the Friday night shooting and issued a warrant for his arrest.

    Waite remained in custody Monday, in lieu of $1 million bail. His attorney, Arik Benari, did not immediately return a request for comment.

    “It is a remarkable act of violence, and it is really extraordinary that more people were not hurt by this,” Rouse said, noting that more than 30 people were standing in the store’s self-checkout area when Waite drew his gun.

    “This could have been an absolute calamity, and the truth of the matter is it’s his own ineptitude that kept this from being a whole lot worse.”

    District Attorney Tanner Rouse said Armani Waite was clearly the aggressor in Friday’s shooting, and targeted a man he had a “relatively innocuous” conversation with moments earlier.Vinny Vella / Staff

    Rouse said the shooting took place after a “relatively innocuous, relatively short” verbal dispute between Armani and another customer in the store, located on MacDade Boulevard in Glenolden.

    During the dispute, the other man lifted his shirt to show Waite he had a gun tucked into the waistband of his pants, according to the affidavit of probable cause for Waite’s arrest. When the other man turned around to leave, Waite drew his own gun and began firing, Rouse said.

    One of the bullets flew through a glass door and struck a female employee as she was standing outside the store, he said. She was treated for her injuries and is in stable condition, according to the prosecutor.

    Waite does not have a license to carry a concealed weapon, according to investigators. The man he targeted does have a concealed-carry permit, authorities said, and does not face criminal charges.

    Rouse said it was unclear what the two men were arguing about, but stressed that Waite was solely responsible for the shooting.

    “There is no basis for him to say ‘I was in fear for my life,’” Rouse said. “He was the aggressor here, plain and simple.”

    Waite dropped the gun as he fled the store, and it was later recovered by investigators. He also dropped the keys to his car, which investigators used to identify Waite and track him down, according to Rouse.

    He is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 11.

  • A Bensalem school bus aide groped a special-needs student, police said

    A Bensalem school bus aide groped a special-needs student, police said

    A school bus aide for the Bensalem Township School District groped a special-needs student and filmed the assault with his cell phone, police said Monday.

    Ali Khan, 62, was charged late last week with corruption of minors, endangering the welfare of a child, indecent assault, and related crimes after the 14-year-old girl’s parents contacted police.

    In a statement, interim Bensalem Township Superintendent Victoria Velazquez said Khan was removed from duty after the district was notified of the police investigation.

    The district is cooperating with police and has initiated an internal investigation, she said.

    Khan remained in custody, in lieu of 10% of $500,000 bail, court records show. There was no indication he had hired an attorney.

    The girl told police that Khan on Thursday touched her inner thigh while she was sitting next to him on a bus heading to Bensalem Township High school, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.

    Before the assault, she said, Khan blocked her path and forced her to take a seat on the bus next to him. He fastened her seat belt for her, the affidavit said, and while doing so put his face close enough to hers “to kiss her.”

    During the ride to her home, Khan intentionally dropped a pen and, while bending down to retrieve it, pointed his cell phone’s camera between her legs, the affidavit said.

    Surveillance footage from the bus showed that the girl closed her legs to prevent Khan from touching her, but that he pulled her legs apart to continue touching her. At one point during the assault, police said, Khan put his hands in his pants and appeared to touch himself.

  • Man charged with murder in the death of a fellow inmate at Burlington County state facility

    Man charged with murder in the death of a fellow inmate at Burlington County state facility

    A 23-year-old New Jersey man was charged with first-degree murder in the July 17 death of another inmate at the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility in Burlington County, Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said Friday.

    Trevor Banton, of East Orange, allegedly killed 24-year-old Yasin Sellers in the prison gym after a religious service attended by other inmates, Bradshaw said.

    Correctional officers found Sellers unresponsive on the floor and he was pronounced dead at the scene, Bradshaw said.

    Banton is awaiting his first court appearance in the case.

    No other details about the fatal assault were released.

  • Police were searching for a man who fired a gun inside a Walmart in Delaware County

    Police are searching for a man who fired a gun inside a Walmart store in Delaware County, wounding an employee.

    Around 7:30 p.m. Friday, police responded to a report of shots fired inside the Walmart at 50 N. MacDade Blvd. in Glenolden. Officers found a woman suffering from a “non-life-threatening” wound to the calf, police said Friday night in a video NBC10 Philadelphia posted to social media.

    The woman, a Walmart employee, was taken to the hospital and is “expected to be just fine,” police said.

    A disagreement between two customers led up to the shooting, police said.

    Police said they recovered the gun that was fired.

    Police initially searched a nearby ShopRite supermarket where some witnesses said the shooter ran to, but police did not find the gunman, who was described as wearing an orange sweatshirt and black pants.

    Police said they believed the man was shooting at someone and they were checking with area hospitals in case a victim arrived for treatment.

    A Walmart spokesperson said the safety of associates and customers is a top priority.

    “We’re grateful to first responders for their swift response and are working closely with law enforcement as they continue their investigation,” the spokesperson said.

    Police said there was no immediate threat to the public.

  • A suspect was arrested in the fatal hit-and-run of a Temple University student on Kelly Drive

    A suspect was arrested in the fatal hit-and-run of a Temple University student on Kelly Drive

    A 48-year-old man suspected of being the hit-and-run driver who killed 20-year-old Temple University student Bryce Wolfe on Kelly Drive in June was arrested Thursday, the U.S. Marshals Service said.

    Derek Reid was taken into custody on the 7200 block of Briar Road in the city’s West Oak Lane section, authorities confirmed.

    The U.S. Marshals Service said Reid also was being sought by the Philadelphia Police Department’s Special Victims Unit on charges of rape and related offenses involving an underage boy in 2021.

    Wolfe, who had just completed his sophomore year at Temple University, was riding his red 2004 Triumph motorcycle on Kelly Drive the night of June 24 when he was struck by a white SUV making an illegal turn onto Reservoir Drive, near the Strawberry Mansion Bridge, Philadelphia police said.

    His body became lodged under the SUV and he was dragged for more than a mile, police said. He died at the hospital the next day.

    Police later released surveillance images of the SUV suspected in Wolfe’s death. Investigators believe the SUV was a 2001-08 Chevrolet Trailblazer, possibly with damage on the driver’s side, with possible red paint transfer, a broken rear windshield, and a discolored passenger-side front wheel.

    The suspected vehicle was located earlier this month, police said.

    Police on July 7, 2026, released images of the suspected SUV, believed to be a white 2001-08 Chevrolet Trailblazer, that fatally struck 20-year-old Bryce Wolfe, a Temple University student, on June 24.Philadelphia Police Department

    Lori Wolfe, Bryce’s mother, said the Philadelphia police called earlier on Thursday to let her family know that the suspected driver was in custody.

    “We were happy they made an arrest,” she said. “I felt there would be an arrest because the accident investigation department of Philadelphia worked very hard to bring justice to Bryce.”

    She added: “Although none of this gives our son back to us, the person responsible should be charged with murder. He drug our son for a mile and left him to die in the street.”

    Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner on Friday announced that Reid was charged with homicide by vehicle, accident involving death, involuntary murder, and recklessly endangering another person.

    Krasner confirmed that Reid was facing charges for a violent sexual assault against a minor, including rape, statutory sexual assault involving a victim between 8 and 11 years old, and related offenses.

    After Reid was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service, he allegedly admitted to being the driver of the SUV that fatally struck Bryce Wolfe, Krasner said.

    Reid was being held on $750,000 bail for the fatal hit-and-run, and $750,000 for the 2021 rape, Krasner said.

    “The devastation Defendant Derek Reid inflicted on these two families is horrific. No one deserves to have their son taken away in such a careless way. We will pursue these charges to the fullest extent of the law,” Krasner said in a statement.

    “This office also has zero tolerance for predators who brutalize the vulnerable, to include our children and young people. We are standing with these families during their journey of healing and we will do everything we can to seek and secure justice,” Krasner said.

    Bryce Wolfe, of Conyngham, a borough in Luzerne County, was an actuarial science major in the Fox School of Business and had just completed his sophomore year.

    A GoFundMe was established to help Bryce’s family.

    In an obituary written by his parents, Bryce was described as having lived his life “with a fearless spirit of adventure and a genuine love for the outdoors.”

    He “found joy in seeking new challenges and embraced every opportunity to experience the world to its fullest. Whether carving down snow-covered slopes while skiing, exploring miles of trails on his bicycle, or riding motorcycles through rugged dirt tracks and open roads, he felt most alive when he was in motion,” Lori Wolfe and Clarence Wolfe III wrote.

    Bryce had started a summer internship and acquired the Triumph to ride while he stayed in Philadelphia, his mother said in a recent interview.

    Said Lori Wolfe, “It was the first motorcycle he bought and insured all by himself.”