AP
People walk by the Pennsylvania Judicial Center Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015, at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will review questions related to the state’s use of force statute ahead of the homicide trial of former Philadelphia police officer Ryan Pownall. Pownall fatally shot 30-year-old David Jones during a traffic stop in 2017.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner filed a pre-trial appeal that, if successful, could change how the jury interprets Pennsylvania’s use of force law. The statute offers police officers wide latitude to employ deadly force, something Krasner argues is unconstitutional.
“The people deserve a consistent and fair standard for when violence may be used against them by the state, in a manner that complies with our constitutions,” Krasner told WESA’s