Police, D.A. Discuss Off-Duty Shooting

PHILADELPHIA - Authorities are pledged Monday a full investigation into the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old man by an off-duty Philadelphia police officer over the weekend.

The shooting happened late Saturday night when a fight broke out at a party on Elkhart Street in Port Richmond.

Police said William Panas was shot in the chest and died a short time later.

The name of the officer involved in the shooting has not yet been released. Officials have said he works in the Civil Affairs Unit.

No one has been charged in connection with the fight – said to have involved up to 40 people – or the shooting.

A vigil was held Sunday night for Panas at the shooting scene.

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said details of exactly what happened are still sketchy but his department is taking the matter seriously.

"We need to sort through a lot of statements and a lot of evidence from (Saturday) night's shooting," Ramsey said. "I don't know ultimately what will be determined, but internal affairs – I just got another briefing from our chief inspector there about the incident, and there's still a lot of things that have to be gone through. But in the meantime, the officer involved is on desk duty and relieved of his police powers until we find out exactly what took place."

District Attorney Lynne Abraham's office is also investigating.

"We are interviewing at this moment everybody who knows anything about that matter," Abraham said Monday morning. "Obviously, we can't make a comment until the investigative efforts are complete. But we want to give the public the assurance that, as always, we'll make a thoughtful and careful determination before the District Attorney's Office, my men and women, make a decision of which way we're going to go. And I'll be, as I am in all of these matters, intricately involved in that."