City cop apparent suicide in vehicle on Kelly Drive
An off-duty Philadelphia police officer apparently shot himself while driving his pick-up truck last night and crashed on Kelly Drive, police sources said.
An off-duty Philadelphia police officer apparently shot himself while driving his pick-up truck last night and crashed on Kelly Drive, police sources said.
The officer, identified as Joseph Dillman, 53, was pronounced dead at Hahnemann University Hospital.
Sources said that Dillman, a 20-year veteran, was married with a son and two daughters.
He most recently worked in the elite Highway Patrol Unit.
Details about the incident were sketchy for much of the evening.
Police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore said that officers responded to a single-car accident on Kelly Drive and Brewery Hill Road about 9 p.m.
The cops found Dillman inside a 2006 Chevrolet Colorado, with a gunshot wound.
A gun was found inside the truck, Vanore said.
Dillman was pronounced dead at Hahnemann at 9:19 p.m.
During a news conference later in the evening, Vanore declined to confirm if Dillman's death was a suicide.
He said that detectives were scouring the area near the crash site for witnesses.
Sources said that police officials were likely waiting for a medical examiner to make a ruling on Dillman's death, a process that would involve, among other things, determining if he had gunpowder residue on his hands.
Scores of officers, including members of Highway Patrol, flocked to Hahnemann last night to mourn their comrade and pay respects to his family.
