Billy was shot to death on Saturday night because he and his friends accidentally stumbled upon a brawl that was occuring outside the officer's home. Drunk and with a well-documented history of erratic and unpredictable violent behavior, the tenured Seargent waved his gun around shouting. Most people, including the original fighers, managed to run away. Billy didn't. He threatened to shoot Billy, whose hands were in the air. Billy protested, begging for his life, and declared such a threat to be illegal and told the officer he wouldn't do it. Taking this as a challenge, the officer shot Billy to death. He claims he was acting in self-defense, but not a single witness to the event confirms the officer's tale. Nobody in the neighborhood is even able to vouch for the officer's character. Many describe him as a mean-spirited maniac whose gun-waving antics in moments of anger or drunken stupor went without notice (or simply without care) by the department for decades.

There is now a small, wooden memorial with a blue tarp covering it made by Billy's family and friends. It sits right outside Officer Frank Tepper's stoop, where he murdered Billy Panas. It is filled with candles, relevent newspaper clippings, pictures, various religious icons of mostly Catholic orientation, and pleas for justice. He leaves behind his girlfriend of 9 years. Their only son (he has one sister), his family will not spend this Thanksgiving or Christmas with him. Posters made by members of the community read various goodbyes and greetings - when we lose someone we know and love, it is hard to know which is more appropriate. The most precious statement written on one such poster read, "We never finished that game... Maybe someday..."

The initial response of the Philadelphia P.D. was to remove him from street work and to upgrade him to administrative desk work. Only yesterday, after death threats emerged against the officer's life, was he actually picked up by the department. Between Saturday night and Tuesday, Tepper was free to roam - and was seen roaming! - about the neighborhood as if he were an innocent man.

He has not been charged, and he has not been arrested - only "picked up" while the "investigation" continues. He is, in reality, being "protected." Some members of the community we spoke with believe the Blue Shield is ensuring Tepper can spend time with his family for Thanksgiving before being charged. Billy's family will never spend Thanksgiving with him again.

Regardless of the reasons, given the overwhelming evidence, there is no excuse for Tepper to be free or uncharged. If it were anyone else but a police officer, we all know that they would be in prison. Instead, Tepper is protected. Instead, the media portrays him as a "hero" at worst, or describes the situation as "questionable" or "debatable" at best!

Members of the Port Richmond community, currently just close friends and relatives, have been calling the mayor, governor, and local state representative's offices and urging them to do something to charge the officer. While we have little faith in the "official" channels, it never hurts to add pressure and create the perception of a mass united front against officers murdering people in cold blood.

Call these numbers at least ONCE today, and add your voice to the many to charge Officer Tepper with Billy's murder!

Mayor Michael Nutter - 215-686-2181
State Representative John Taylor - 215-425-0901
Governor Ed Rendell - 717-787-2500

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/112409_Elkhart_Street_Off_Duty_Officer_Involved_Shooting

http://outside.in/port-richmond-philadelphia-pa

http://www.defenestrator.org/protest_police_murder