By Chris Palmer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
PHILADELPHIA — Ryan Pownall, who as a Philadelphia Police officer in June 2017 fatally shot a man who ran from a traffic stop, is expected to turn himself in Tuesday to face murder charges, according to a source familiar with the case.
The charges result from a yearlong investigation, said the source, who asked not to be identified discussing the situation before an official announcement. It will be the first time in nearly two decades that charges will be filed in a fatal shooting by a city police officer while on duty.
Ben Waxman, a spokesman for District Attorney Larry Krasner, did not reply to requests for comment Tuesday morning.
Pownall was dismissed from the Police Department last year over the shooting, during which Pownall fired his gun at David Jones, who had been riding a dirt bike and illegally carrying a gun when Pownall pulled him over in North Philadelphia. Police said Pownall fired after he frisked Jones, felt the gun, and struggled with Jones over it. Jones broke free and ran away; the gun was later found on the ground near Pownall.
Commissioner Richard Ross, in announcing the decision to fire Pownall, cited a host of departmental violations and said Pownall displayed “poor judgment.”
Krasner said during his first month in office in January that his administration would not be shy about pursuing cases against police officers who shoot if evidence supported it.
Pownall’s fatal shooting of Jones generated a wave of protests and disruptions, including at city press conferences and outside Pownall’s house. Activists frequently called for his arrest, and cited the fact that he had been involved in another on-duty shooting of a black man from behind in 2010.
In that case, Pownall was one of several officers who fired at Carnell Williams-Carney, who had run away from police in Frankford. Pownall later testified that he believed he fired the shot that struck and paralyzed Williams-Carney, although ballistics tests could not be conducted because the bullet remains lodged in his back.