Report: Police fail to break into apartment where woman was killedPolice are investigating whether officers acted appropriately when they failed to break into an apartment where a 24-year-old woman was later found strangled.
San-dee King, who lived alone in an apartment house in the Frankford section of the city, was found dead under a pile of clothes that had been set on fire.
Police were called to the building about 1:45 p.m. Jan. 21 after neighbors reported a fire in the apartment. No arrests have been made.
Police had gone to the building earlier after someone using King's cell phone sent text messages to her friend, saying that King was in trouble. The friend alerted police and officers were dispatched to the apartment, investigators familiar with the case told The Philadelphia Inquirer.
King's father, Eugene King, who also had been alerted of the text messages by King's friend, headed to the apartment and asked police for help in forcing open the apartment door. He was told by police that they could not do that because his daughter was an adult, the Inquirer said.
The officers left, and the fire broke out shortly thereafter.
"The Homicide Division began an investigation, and during their investigation ... it became apparent that there was some concern regarding the manner and the way the officers initially responded," Police Inspector William Colarulo said Thursday.
The case is drawing parallels to the murder of 23-year-old Wharton student Shannon Schieber in 1998. In that case, two officers called to investigate screaming coming from Schieber's apartment decided not to break down her door. Schieber's body was discovered inside the apartment the next morning.
Her parents sued police, but an appeals court dismissed the case in 2003.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13937251&BRD=2212&PAG=461&dept_id=465812&rfi=6*
Note: Please remember that the police have no legal obligation to protect you. If you choose to live unarmed and somehow end up in a life and death situation that generates a 911 call for assistance, please remember to leave your ID in plain sight so that the police will be able to complete any paper-work required to report and record your unfortunate demise.
