Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters.
Officers in Pennsylvania have killed or used force on 108 civilians since 2017, according to a Spotlight PA examination of databases maintained by the Washington Post and Fatal Encounters. Elected district attorneys almost always decide whether to charge these officers, and their choices often receive little pushback.
Expanded access to videos of police using lethal force has increased public awareness of the problem, but few people know how and why courts rule these cases justified.
On Thursday, Dec. 16. at 7 p.m. EST, Spotlight PA held a free discussion on why killings by police officers often are ruled justified and the investigation process that leads to such rulings.
Our panelists were:
Gary Harki, criminal justice reporter for Spotlight PA
Stephanie Morales, Commonwealth’s Attorney of Portsmouth, Virginia
Tierra D. Williams, chair of the 3/20 Coalition
David Harris, Sally Ann Semenko Endowed Chair and Professor of Law at University of Pittsburgh
Watch the video below.
» Spotlight PA’s events operate on a “pay-what-you-can” honor system. If you value this public-service event, pay it forward and contribute any amount to Spotlight PA now so we can keep our programming free for everyone: spotlightpa.org/donate.
