On the night of May 8, 2006, Philadelphia Police Officer Gary Frank Skerski, a 46-year-old male, was working an overtime detail as part of the city's 'Operation Safer Streets.' A 16-year veteran of the police department, he was known as a dedicated community relations officer in the 15th District. That evening, a call came in for an armed robbery in progress at Pat's Cafe in the Frankford section of the city.
Responding to the call, Officer Skerski arrived at the cafe located near the
intersection of Arrott and Adams Avenues. As he approached the entrance, he was confronted by a man exiting the establishment. The man, armed with a shotgun, immediately opened fire, striking Officer Skerski in the neck. The assailant then fled the scene on foot. The fallen officer was rushed to Temple University Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries shortly before midnight.
The shooting of Officer Skerski launched a massive manhunt. For eleven days, investigators worked tirelessly to identify and locate the person responsible. The break in the case came when a tip led them to an apartment building in East Germantown where the suspect, Solomon Montgomery, was believed to be hiding with his sister. As police closed in, a confrontation ensued, resulting in Montgomery being shot twice by officers before he was taken into custody.
In October 2007, Solomon Montgomery, then 25, pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of Officer Gary Skerski, as well as attempted murder and multiple robbery counts. By pleading guilty, Montgomery avoided a potential death sentence and was instead sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Family members of Montgomery had reportedly testified that he had admitted to them that he had robbed the bar and killed the officer. In court, Montgomery apologized to Officer Skerski's family for his actions.
