Philadelphia House Delegation calls for thorough investigation on teen fatally shot by state trooper and prevention of more tragedies

PHILADELPHIA, June 7 – The Philadelphia House Delegation today stated that the group is closely following the death of a teenager killed in the city Sunday by a state trooper during a drag race on I-95. The organization expressed concern about issues involved in this incident as they could develop into more tragedies.

Philadelphia House Delegation Chair Morgan Cephas indicated that it is essential that the state police and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office collaborate hand-in-hand for transparent scrutiny.

The delegation also hopes for accountability and answers to many of the critical questions surrounding the deadly shooting.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victim, and we are looking forward to seeing all the facts that resulted in this death,” Cephas said.

“As a delegation, we see two sides of this tragedy -- the first one is a family mourning in our city, the second is an unfortunate series of issues that are prompting us to take bold action and work fast on prevention.

“It is alarming to see more and more illegal drag racings on city streets and interstates, car meetups and large unregulated gatherings all over the city. The aftermath of these scenarios is always the same: property damage, assault and participants throwing objects at the police.

“As we head into the summer, we need to take control of these issues, put a halt to these chaotic activities and unite efforts to avoid more tragedies. Our families, our city cannot afford one more death. Enough is enough.”

Rep. Mary Isaacson shared her perspective of the tragedy as it occurred in the area of Penn’s Landing near by her legislative district.

“I am distraught at the loss of yet another young life in our city. There are many unanswered questions about this case, but I am confident that with the help of the public and cooperation between the Philadelphia DAO, PSP and others involved that we will find out what happened and why.