E. Germantown man charged in death of man who was beaten by police

An East Germantown man has been charged with killing Najee Rivera, 23, during a street fight on a Kensington corner in December, Philadelphia police said Monday.

Khalil Henderson, 22, of the 5700 block of Kemble Avenue, was arrested Friday and charged with murder and related offenses in the shooting death of Rivera at C and Somerset Streets on Dec. 5, 2015, according to police.

Rivera died months before he was expected to testify at the trial of two officers accused of beating him after a traffic stop in Kensington in 2013.

According to Rivera's girlfriend, Dina Scannapieco, Henderson shot Rivera because Rivera tried to intervene in a fight between Henderson and two women.

Rivera, of Fairhill, was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he died Dec. 20 from his injuries, police said.

In the 2013 case, Rivera suffered a broken eye-socket bone, and received seven stitches and 18 staples in seven areas of his face and head, for injuries he suffered at the hands of police.

Rivera apparently had fled on a motor scooter after police tried to pull him over for running a stop sign. During their pursuit, Rivera led them the wrong way down Indiana Avenue, then wrestled with officers as they tried to arrest him, police said.

Rivera was charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and resisting arrest, but prosecutors dropped the charges after Scannapieco found surveillance video of the incident. Charges were then filed against 25th District Officers Sean McKnight and Kevin Robinson.

This month, McKnight and Robinson were acquitted on all counts, including aggravated assault and false reporting. The absence of Rivera's testimony was viewed as a weakness in the case.

Scannapieco said Monday that she was relieved by Henderson's arrest. She and Rivera would have celebrated the fifth anniversary of their relationship this week, she said, and the news of an arrest was a welcome distraction from an otherwise sad occasion.

"I'm happy I can let him rest in peace," she said.