Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at 05:46 AM
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s high court may soon decide whether state law on police use of deadly force during arrests gives officers too much leeway to kill a fleeing suspect. The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments Tuesday. The question arose during the criminal prosecution of former Philadelphia police officer Ryan Pownall for a fatal June 2017 shooting. The 39-year-old former cop is charged with third-degree murder for the death of David Jones after a confrontation over Jones driving a dirt bike on a Philadelphia street. His criminal trial is on hold while the courts sort out a potential jury instruction on the proper standard for deadly force by police in Pennsylvania.