On the cold evening of February 13, 2009, Philadelphia Police Officer John Pawlowski, a 25-year-old male with five and a half years of service, responded to what seemed like a routine dispute in the city's Logan section. A cab driver had called 911 to report a conflict with a man who had menacingly warned, 'If you call police, I shoot you plus the police.' This threat would soon become a tragic reality. When Officer Pawlowski and his partner arrived, the cabbie pointed out the subject, a man dressed in a long black coat with his hands concealed in his pockets.
As Pawlowski and his partner approached, they ordered the man to show his hands. The command was ignored. Instead, the man, later identified as Rasheed Scrugs, opened fire with a. 357 handgun, shooting directly through the fabric of his own coat pocket. One bullet struck Officer Pawlowski in his bullet-resistant vest, but a second, tragically, found its way into his chest just above the vest's protection. Despite being mortally wounded, Pawlowski managed to return fire, striking Scrugs once before he collapsed. A fierce gun battle ensued as Pawlowski's partner and another officer engaged the shooter. Pawlowski was rushed to Albert Einstein Medical Center, but he succumbed to his injuries.
The suspect, Rasheed Scrugs, was wounded in the shootout and taken into custody at the scene. He was subsequently charged with murder and attempted murder. As his trial was set to begin in October 2010, Scrugs made a sudden decision to plead guilty to first-degree murder, stunning the courtroom. The case then proceeded directly to the penalty phase to determine his sentence. Prosecutors sought the death penalty for the cold-blooded killing of an officer in the line of duty.
In November 2010, after hearing emotional testimony from Pawlowski's family, including his young widow who was pregnant with their son when the officer was killed, the jury began deliberations on Scrugs's fate. They were unable to reach a unanimous decision on the death penalty. Due to the deadlock, the judge was legally bound to impose a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Scrugs received an additional sentence of 20 to 40 years for the attempted murder of Pawlowski's partner, ensuring he would spend the remainder of his life incarcerated.
