Police: Officer Tried to Implicate Wife in His Own Shooting

Somebody shot Officer Robert Penn back in March. Police still aren’t sure who pulled the trigger. But, they say, that didn’t stop Penn from falsely trying to implicate his wife in the crime.

And that’s why Penn, a 25-year member of the Philadelphia Police Department, was himself arrested Tuesday — along with Charles Mays, his former brother-in-law — and suspended from duty with the intent that he’ll be dismissed outright.

According to a police statement: “The investigation revealed that Mr. Penn directed Charles Mays (Penn’s former wife’s brother) to contact media to provide false information regarding the March 2, 2014, incident in which Mr. Penn was shot while off-duty as he arrived home after completing his shift. Investigators discovered that Penn allegedly paid Mays to call local newspapers anonymously and implicate Penn’s current wife as having involvement in the March 2nd shooting.”

The shooting incident happened March 2nd. Penn had just finished his shift when he was approached “by a man who mumbled something unclear and then shot Penn once in his right shoulder and ran down a nearby alley,” the Daily News reported at the time. The suspect was described as a 5-foot, 8-inch black man.

The investigation into that crime continues, a police department spokeswoman said today.

In the meantime, Penn is charged with with criminal solicitation of false reports, criminal conspiracy, and obstructing administration of law.

Follow @JoelMMathis on Twitter.