Jeffrey Dennis, 36

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
August 20, 2018

Agencies: Philadelphia Police Department Pennsylvania

Cause of death: Not Yet Known

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Last updated: about 5 years ago

Overview

Police say Officer Richard Nicoletti, who is a 29-year veteran of the force, is the officer who shot and killed 36-year-old Jeffrey Dennis in his car while police conducted a narcotics investigation.

Capt. Sekou Kinebrew told reporters that narcotics officers were trying to stop a car on Cottage Street in Tacony around 4 p.m. Monday when the incident unfolded.

He said the driver maneuvered his car in such a way that an officer was struck and injured. Two other officers were reportedly injured, but it isn't clear how.
 
Kinebrew said another officer, not the officer who was struck, fired three times, and the person was pronounced dead shortly before 4:30 p.m.

Kinebrew said none of the officers' injuries were life-threatening.

Legal Action

On February 28, 2019, the relatives of Dennis filed a lawsuit against the officer and the city, claiming that the Police Department failed to properly train its officers on the use of deadly force, and that the shooting was “objectively unnecessary, excessive, and unreasonable under the circumstances."

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