Suspect Pleads Guilty In Pawlowski Case

PHILADELPHIA - A man who fatally shot a Philadelphia police officer responding to the attempted robbery of a cab driver last year abruptly pleaded guilty Thursday just as his trial was set to begin.

Slideshow: Remembering Officer Pawlowski

Rasheed Scrugs, 35, told the court he was guilty of first-degree murder in the February 2009 death of Officer John Pawlowski, 25, the last of seven city officers slain in the line of duty over a period of less than three years.

Scrugs apologized after entering his plea and the case continued immediately to the penalty phase, where the jury will now hear testimony before deciding if Scrugs should be put to death or sentenced to life in prison.

"I'm guilty of first degree murder and I'm sorry," Scrugs told Common Pleas Court Judge Renee Cardwell Hughes, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Pawlowski's widow, Kim, and other family members began weeping when the plea was announced, The Inquirer reported.

Kim Pawlowski was pregnant with the couple's first child when her husband was shot. She gave birth to a son in June and named the boy John Pawlowski, Jr., in memory of her husband.

Pawlowski, a five-year veteran of the force, was shot in North Philadelphia while responding to a 911 call from a cab driver who said that Scrugs was threatening him.

As Pawlowski arrived at the scene, Scrugs fired several shots from a gun inside his jacket -- including one shot that struck the officer above his bulletproof vest and another that hit him in the side.

Scrugs was wounded after officers returned fire.