The Philadelphia Police department has lost four officers in 2012, all killed in the past three months while off-duty.
Early Saturday, Officer Moses Walker Jr. was shot and killed after leaving work. Investigators say he was walking at 20th and Cecil B. Moore Avenue around 6:00 a.m. when he was shot twice. Police believe robbery may have been the motive and they are still searching for the gunman.
Walker,40, had been on the force for 19 years. He apparently was planning to retire next year.
"We literally just removed the mourning bands last week for Officer Lorenzo, and now we may be putting them right back on, so it’s tough. This department has been through a lot. In just the four-and-a-half years I’ve been here, this will be the seventh officer we’ve lost, which is more than some departments get in 20 years," said Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey.
Highway Patrol Officer Brian Lorenzo was killed on July 8 on his way home from work. Police say he was riding his motorcycle on I-95 near Cottman Avenue when he was hit by an accused drunk driver who was going the wrong way.
47-year-old John Leck Jr., of Levittown, is facing charges in Lorenzo's death. He's charged with third-degree murder, and homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence.
On July 15, Officer Marc Brady was struck and killed by a car as he rode his bicycle near Musgrave Street and Meehan Avenue in East Mount Airy. Police say the driver who hit him was dating the officer's ex-girlfriend. That driver, Kareem Alleyne is charged with vehicular homicide and manslaughter.
Officer Milan Merke was participating in the Midnight Run for Peace on June 8, when his motorcycle was hit by a car at Broad and Master Streets in North Philadelphia. He was with a group of officers who were patrolling neighborhoods to talk to people and gather information on crimes.
He died at the hospital a week later.
