Cops sued in fatal stop

A YEAR AGO this week, Jamil Moses, 24, a father of three, was fatally shot by police during a car stop in North Philadelphia.

Yesterday, Moses' family filed a lawsuit against six officers involved in the shooting, alleging use of excessive force against Moses and the driver of the car he was riding in - neither of whom, an attorney for the family said, was armed at the time.

Crime-scene investigators counted more than 60 shell casings, said the attorney, Paul Hetznecker. "There were no weapons found in the car and no allegations that any weapons were thrown from the car," he said.

Police declined to comment.

Hetznecker said Moses was a passenger in a stolen Chevy Impala driven by Frederick Bell, now 38, on the afternoon of Feb. 8, 2011. The Impala allegedly had been involved in a carjacking 10 days earlier, and police began tailing it before boxing it in at 23rd Street and Susquehanna Avenue.

One police vehicle, Hetznecker said, crashed into the front driver's-side panel of the Impala, immobilizing the car. At some point, officers opened fire, killing Moses and critically injuring Bell, Hetznecker said.

Neither man was armed, he said, but officers reported that Bell had moved the car, causing them to fear for their safety. He said other officers reported that someone had shouted, "Gun!" before the shots were fired.