Philadelphia Officer Arrested After Off Duty Incident Last Year
By Dan Wing and Andrew Kramer
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Philadelphia District Attorney's office has announced charges against a 27-year old Philadelphia Police officer with firing his gun at a building over a dozen times last October and then lying to law enforcement about the incident.
The DA's office says Pharez Morris was seen getting out of a car on West Rockland Street just before 5 a.m. on October 27th. Morris was seen trying to get into an apartment building, but when he couldn't he pulled out a gun and fired 13 shots in the direction of another nearby building. After the shots were fired, witnesses say a woman came out of the apartment building and allowed Morris inside.
As police investigated the scene, Morris called 9-1-1 and reported a shooting at 11th and Rockland in an attempt to draw investigators away from the area of his unlawful discharge. He was off duty at the time of the incident.
Morris turned himself into Internal Affairs Friday afternoon and was arrested. He faces charges of Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Possessing an Instrument of Crime, False Alarms to Agencies of Public Safety and False Reports to Law Enforcement Authorities.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey has suspended Morris for 30 days with the intent to dismiss. Morris is a six-year veteran, assigned to the 35th district.
