Montco man shot by Philly police dies

A man who was shot by a Philadelphia police officer during a struggle on Jan. 21 died Sunday of his injuries, his family said.

Jamaar Morton, 23, of Upper Dublin, Montgomery County, was pronounced dead shortly before 6 a.m. at Albert Einstein Medical Center, said his father, Alvin Clifton.

Morton was driving a Chevrolet Lumina through West Oak Lane when he was pulled over by a police for traffic violations.

Officers spotted narcotics in the car. When they attempted to arrest him, Morton struggled with the officers and dislodged an officer's 9mm service weapon, police said.

According to police, there was a battle over the gun. When the officer regained control of the handgun, it discharged, striking Morton in his side.

The officer was not injured.

Police found 20 vials of crack cocaine in the car.

Morton, who had a long record of drug arrests, was charged with aggravated assault and narcotics counts.

"I know my son was in the wrong, especially if it happened the way that they said it did," Clifton said this morning. "But something about the story just doesn't seem right."

Clifton said he was meeting today with detectives investigating the incident.

Contact staff writer Sam Wood at 215-854-2769 or woods@phillynews.com.