PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A former Philadelphia police officer who was shot at and suffered injuries to his head while responding to a call is now speaking out for a “disrespectful” plea bargain that he claims is on the table for his alleged shooter.
Patrick Keller is calling out the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, which said no deal has been entered in the ongoing case.
The incident happened in December of 2020, just a few days before Christmas.
Keller said he and his partner with Philadelphia police were responding to a call in the Kingsessing neighborhood near South 56th Street and Whitby Avenue.
“My partner attempted to take the male into custody. He backed away, and the next thing I heard was a gunshot. I suffered gunpowder burns on my neck, face, and ear as well as having hearing loss,” said Keller.
Devon Smith, then 19, was arrested and charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, and other related weapon charges.
A judge later dropped the attempted murder charge. Officers were wearing body cameras, and the DA’s office said that the video shows Smith did not intend to fire the gun.
Keller said he had not heard from the DA’s office for months until recently. He claims that he learned from the DA’s office that Smith was getting a plea deal of four to eight years in prison, with three years of probation.
“I was never once considered, or gave any input on what I thought would be an appropriate plea deal,” Keller said. “This deal is disrespectful to myself, my family, my partner, and to all the hard-working law enforcement officers in this city. I want this case to go to trial, so I can testify and show the court how close I was to losing my life that night.”
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A spokesperson from the DA’s office said they cannot say much because the case is still ongoing, but they did say it’s being treated “as a serious crime that is being prosecuted vigorously and justly in light of the facts and the law.”
“No plea has been entered by the defendant,” they added.
The case is scheduled for court Friday, but the DA’s office said it will be postponed pending a mental health evaluation of the defendant.
Keller said he’s no longer with the Philadelphia Police Department, partially due to what happened.
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