Chester police-shooting victim id'd; tensions persist
With tensions still simmering after the second police-involved shooting in five weeks in Chester, officials Tuesday released the name of the man killed during a fierce gun battle Saturday afternoon that also injured one officer.
With tensions still simmering after the second police-involved shooting in five weeks in Chester, officials Tuesday released the name of the man killed during a fierce gun battle Saturday afternoon that also injured one officer.
Keith Montgomery Jr., 24, of Chester, died of "multiple gunshot wounds," according to the findings of the Delaware County medical examiner. No other details were available.
Meanwhile, the injured officer, Capt. Alan Davis, was undergoing a second surgery for his wounds to the lower back and an arm, according to Aigner Cleveland, a spokeswoman for the Chester mayor's office.
The 26-year veteran of the Chester police force remains in stable condition, she said.
Officials released only scant details about the investigation, now being handled by the Delaware County District Attorney's Office.
But the Saturday incident stoked tensions in Delaware County's only city, where relations with police have been strained in recent years.
Last month, Shalamar Longer, 33, was killed after six Chester officers fired 100 shots at the Chester man and his car. The District Attorney's Office ruled the shooting justified, citing the fact that Longer had led police on a long chase through the city before crashing his vehicle and pointing a gun at officers.
About 4 p.m. Saturday, Montgomery, who had multiple arrests on drug and weapons charges, according to court records, was killed near Parker and Union Streets. Chester police had pulled over a Pontiac Grand Prix that matched the description of a stolen vehicle, officials said. Three men, including Montgomery, were in the car.
According to officials, one officer asked the men to step out of the car. At that point, officials said, someone inside the vehicle began shooting at police.
Police returned fire, killing Montgomery just days before his 25th birthday. Rasheed Pernsley, 21, the driver of the vehicle, was injured and is listed in stable condition.
Pernsley was arraigned at Crozer-Chester Medical Center on Sunday. He has been charged with receiving stolen property and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
The third man in the vehicle, who has not yet been identified, was not shot.
As Chester officers responded to the scene Saturday, officials said, residents threw rocks and bottles at police.
Cleveland, Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland's spokeswoman, said the mayor will hold a town-hall meeting sometime in the spring to address the community-police relations.
But first, she said, "we want to wait until tensions die down."
610-313-8113 @mccabe_caitlin