A former Philadelphia cop has been charged with murder nearly three years after he killed an unarmed Black man following a car chase on Dec. 27, 2017.
Ex-officer Eric Ruch Jr., 33, who was fired months later, turned himself in on Friday, Oct. 9, the same day Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced at a news conference that Ruch was being charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, and possession of an instrument of crime for gunning down 25-year-old Dennis Plowden.
The fatal series of events began that evening after Plowden borrowed a car to bring Christmas gifts to his mother in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood, the dead man’s family said. Ruch was in an unmarked police vehicle when he noticed Plowden driving the 2013 Hyundai. While police previously reported that Ruch had connected the vehicle to a homicide, Assistant District Attorney Vincent Corrigan said at the news conference that the assumption was unfounded.
“They called the number into police radio to stop a ‘mover,’ which is police slang for any moving vehicle. There’s no information on the police radio before the incident that indicates that anyone knew for sure that this vehicle may have been involved in a homicide,” Corrigan said. “It’s my understanding since [then], that this is not an avenue of inquiry. The homicide in question is still an open case.”
Ruch called for backup, and followed the vehicle as several other police cars joined the pursuit, which quickly evolved into a full high-speed car chase that ended less than three minutes later when Plowden struck a pole.
Plowden staggered out onto the sidewalk, appearing to be dazed and confused. However, he was attempting to obey police commands, according to evidence presented to a grand jury. Ruch reached the scene in around 6 to 8 seconds, exited his police car and fired his gun. No other officers discharged their weapons.
New details about the case indicate that Plowden allegedly was shot by Ruch while sitting on the sidewalk, after he had dazedly raised one hand.
At Friday’s news conference District Attorney Krasner said of the events, “According to this presentment, Eric Ruch killed Dennis Plowden while on duty, by firing his gun directly at Plowden’s head as Plowden sat on the ground with his left empty hand raised and clearly visible.”
“I mention that because the bullet tore through the fingers of that left hand before it entered Plowden’s head,” Krasner added.
After the incident, internal and criminal investigations were initiated in 2017, and Ruch was fired from the Philadelphia Police Department in October 2018. Then, Ruch’s colleagues presented conflicting accounts of the shooting, causing a delay in the investigation.
Ruch is being held without bond and could serve a maximum sentence of life without parole due to the first-degree murder charge. A trial date is scheduled for April 12, 2021.
After a three-year investigation, Krasner was questioned as to why the charges took so long. He compared the case to that of George Floyd, noting that the existence of strong evidence can speed up a case.
“If we think about a case like the George Floyd case, that is a case where you have a video that captures a lot. A lot of what happened and exactly how it happened. And what we find in general in cases where police accountability is at issue, is where we have video evidence or very strong evidence, we can move more swiftly,” Krasner said. “Because you don’t have to piece together from eyewitness testimony and other sorts of less perfect sources of information. So it is more time consuming always when you have to look at a case where we do not have video that was focused on the crucial moment in the case.”
Ruch will be represented in court by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5. President John McNesby said that Ruch is entitled to due process and that the attorneys are prepared to appropriately defend him.
“Our attorneys will review the allegations and appropriately defend this officer,” McNesby said. “Officer Ruch Jr. is entitled to due process and we believe the judicial system will protect his rights to a fair trial.”
