Eric Ruch Jr.
Service Record
Philadelphia Pennsylvania Police Department
| Rank | Officer |
| Dates of Service | 2008 - October 21, 2018.[1] |
| Salary | $91,296 (2017)[2] |
| Last Known Status | Terminated[3] |
Incident Reports
2017 Shooting of Tyler Nichols
On February 15, 2017, Ruch and other officers attempted to stop Nichols as he left a "known drug house". Nichols was shot by several officers.[1]
Response Timeline
Ruch and two other officers were placed on administrative duty.[1]
2017 Death of Dennis Plowden Jr.
On December 27, 2017, Ruch attempted to stop Plowden as the vehicle he was driving matched the description of a vehicle from a recent homicide. Officers had been cautioned that occupants of the car should be considered armed and dangerous. Plowden fled, leading officers on a 2-minute, high-speed chase.[4][5]
Plowden struck a police car and hit an officer before briefly losing the pursuing officers. Plowden crashed, stumbled from the vehicle, and sat on the sidewalk. Officers arrived, and Plowden did not fully follow officers' commands. Ruch shot once, striking Plowden in the hand and head. Other officers did not fire.[4][1]
On December 28, 2017, Plowden died at the hospital.[3]
Response Timeline
On October 21, 2018, Ruch was suspended for 30 days, and the department announced plans to fire him. The department review determined that Ruch used unjustified lethal force and poor tactics by not using cover and concealment.[1]
On September 20, 2019, Plowden's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city.[3][6]
On October 9, 2020, Ruch was charged with first degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, and a weapons charge.[3][7]
In July 2021, the family's lawsuit was settled for $1.2 million.[5]
On Spetember 21, 2022, Ruch was convicted by a jury of voluntary manslaughter and misdemeanor possession of an instrument used in a crime - his service weapon. The jury cleared Ruch of third-degree murder, which would have required that the shooting was motivated by malice. Ruch faces a maximum of 25 years in prison.[8]
On November 17, 2022, Ruch was sentenced to 11.5 to 23 months in prison.[9]
On June 13, 2023, Ruch was released from prison.[10]
LEO Ratings
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 David Chang, Philadelphia Officer Used ‘Poor Tactics' in Deadly Shooting of Unarmed Man and Will Be Fired, Commissioner Says, NBC Philadelphia, 2018-10-31
- ↑ Eric Ruch Jr, govSalaries
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Maryclaire Dale, White former officer on trial for killing Black motorist, WPRI, 2022-09-13
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Howard Monroe, Trial begins for former Philadelphia officer Eric Ruch Jr. accused of fatally shooting unarmed Black man, CBS News, 2022-09-13
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Katherine Scott, Trial begins for former Philadelphia police officer who fatally shot unarmed Black man, 6abc, 2022-09-13
- ↑ Bond et al v Ruch et al, U.S. District Court, 2019-09-20
- ↑ District Attorney Krasner Announces Charges for Police..., Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, 2020-10-09
- ↑ Craig McCoy, Ex-Philly police officer convicted of voluntary manslaughter in shooting of unarmed man, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 2022-09-21
- ↑ Former Philadelphia police officer sentenced for killing unarmed man, ABC 6, 2022-11-17
- ↑ Hayden Mitman, Former Philly cop who killed unarmed man released from prison, NBC Philadelphia, 2023-06-14
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