By Kathleen Brady Shea
The Philadelphia Inquirer
DARBY, Pa. — Police have concluded that the gunshot wound suffered by an off-duty Upper Darby Police officer on Friday was self-inflicted.
Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood Sr. said yesterday that investigators determined that the gun recovered in Officer Jerome Brown’s car was the weapon that caused the “in and out wound” to his abdomen. Chitwood would not say whether the discharge was accidental or intentional.
Brown, 30, was reported in good condition yesterday at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he underwent surgery on Friday, a hospital spokesperson said.
“We feel there’s no criminality, and the incident will be handled internally,” said Chitwood. “This is a difficult time in his life, and our thoughts and our prayers are with him and his family.”
Chitwood declined further comment.
The wounded officer was discovered when Upper Darby police responded to a traffic accident at Lansdowne Avenue and Cedar Lane about 6 a.m. on Friday.
Officers found Brown unconscious in his red 2000 BMW, which had smashed into a light pole after hitting a 1999 Ford pickup, whose driver was not injured, police said.
Medics observed the gunshot wound, and officers found a Glock 9mm handgun in a holster on the front passenger’s floor, police said, adding that the gun, which had been fired once, was an off-duty weapon registered to Brown.
Brown, a Marine veteran, joined the department in 2000.
Copyright 2008 The Philadelphia Inquirer