Off-duty policeman fatally shoots son of police officers, 15

It seemed like an ordinary Monday afternoon at the corner store at Broad Street and Chew Avenue, where the clerk exchanged a friendly greeting with two teens who had just gotten out of a burgundy Cadillac.

One of the youths - William Smith, 15, the son of two city police officers - followed another teen who was headed toward a phone both near the store's entrance.

Seconds later, the two teens pulled pistols on Khalid Covil, 19, shot him at least a half-dozen times, and fled, police said. He was in critical condition last night.

"They just started shooting," said the clerk, who declined to give her name. "I live around here," she explained.

Minutes later, Smith would be killed by an off-duty officer in a struggle over a gun. The officer, who was still wearing his uniform trousers with a blue stripe, had witnessed the shooting and gave chase, police said.

"It's a tragedy, since it involves the police family," Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey said yesterday. He promised a thorough investigation by Internal Affairs.

Police declined to identify the off-duty officer, but Ramsey said his account was consistent with witness reports. "A shooting happens in front of you - you're never really off-duty, you have to take action," Ramsey said.

The off-duty officer, a district patrolman who alerted police dispatchers with his cell phone when he started the chase, has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Police said the officer appeared to have complied with department regulations by firing when he believed he faced an imminent threat.

"From my perspective, it looks like a good shooting," said Capt. James Clark, head of the homicide unit.

The shooting of Covil, police said, had its roots in "bad blood" between the teens. Smith and the other shooter, who was not captured, had been stalking Covino for a week to retaliate for a beating, police said.

Smith, whose address was given in the 3800 block of North Park Avenue in North Philadelphia, was a ninth-grade student at Imhotep Institute Charter High School. According to a law enforcement source, he was charged as a juvenile last year with aggravated assault.

Police did not identify his family, but Ramsey said his mother, his father, his stepfather, an uncle and a cousin are all veteran Philadelphia police officers.

Covil was in critical condition yesterday at Albert Einstein Medical Center, police said.

The incident took place about 3:30 p.m. After Covil was shot, police said the two piled back into the Cadillac driven by a third man and it drove off south on Broad Street. The off-duty officer who witnessed the shooting called 911 and pursued in his vehicle.

The Cadillac stopped in traffic near Duncannon Avenue. Police said Smith and the other male, aware they were being pursued, jumped out and ran in opposite directions.

Police arrested the driver, identified as Marcus Powell, 17. He was not charged with the shooting, and is being held as a witness, Clark said.

The off-duty officer caught Smith running north on Broad Street, less than a block away. As they tussled, police said, the officer shot Smith multiple times.

Inside her nearby basement office, a woman said she heard from eight to 10 shots.

When she peered out the window, she saw Smith lying on the pavement under the building's sign.

"His eyes were open for a minute or two," said the woman, who also declined to give her name.

Then came a swarm of police officers, she said.

Smith was pronounced dead at Albert Einstein Medical Center at 4:07 p.m, police said.

Two handguns - a .45 and a .380 automatic - were found near where Smith fell to the ground, police said.

On the 3800 block of North Park, neighbors said Smith and his family had recently moved to another part of the city.

Smith's death shocked teachers and students at Imhotep, in East Germantown.

"He was a good kid, no problem," said Christine Wiggins, founder and chief executive officer. "We don't know what happened."

Wiggins said regular classes were canceled for the day. She said counselors were available to meet with students and staff "so they can talk, they can grieve, and do what they need to do to get through the day."

These guidelines are from the Philadelphia Police Department:

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