City cop charged with shooting 13 bullets into building
When he couldn't get into an apartment building one early morning last October, an off-duty police officer allegedly turned and fired 13 rounds from a handgun into a building in Logan, the District Attorney's office announced Friday.
Pharez Morris, 27, was charged Friday with shooting off a weapon shortly before 5 a.m. Oct. 27 in the 1400 block of Rockland Street, the D.A. said in a statement. He also allegedly made a 9-1-1 call shortly after the sudden shooting to tell police a shooting occurred at 11th and Rockland streets. He has been charged with recklessly endangering another person, false alarms to agencies of public safety and false reports to law enforcement authorities.
The six-year veteran has been suspended from the police department with intent to dismiss.
The incident was initially reported when a witness called police to report that a man tried getting into an apartment building on the 1400 block and when he couldn't, the man suddenly turned around and fired at another building. A woman opened the door for him a short time later.
Responding officers found 13 shell casings fired by a .40-caliber handgun. While investigating the scene on West Rockland a 9-1-1 call was made by an individual who refused to identify himself, the D.A. said in the statement. The caller claimed: "I think there’s a person shot at 11th and Rockland; I heard a lot of shots, saw a man fall to the ground."
Authorities now allege Morris made the call.
Contact Brian X. McCrone at 215-854-2267 or bmccrone@philly.com. Follow @brianxmccrone on Twitter.
