A former Pennsylvania police officer accused of sexually assaulting two young girls more than two decades ago was killed early Wednesday during a shootout with police who recognized his car and confronted him, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said.
Francis Connell Collier, 38, who resigned in December from the Morton Police Department in suburban Philadelphia after being placed on leave because of the investigation, was shot and killed at 3:48 a.m. in Bala Cynwyd, near his home.
A criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Delaware County charges Collier with child rape, endangering the welfare of children and related sex crimes. The victims were under 13 years old at the time.
Collier failed a polygraph test in early December and later told a detective that he “did not intentionally touch the girls inappropriately,” police wrote in a probable cause affidavit.
Lower Merion Township officers who were on patrol knew Collier was facing criminal charges and saw him returning to his car, Steele said in a statement.
“When they confronted him, Collier fired at the officers, who returned fire, fatally wounding Collier,” Steele said.
Morton police said Collier was placed on unpaid administrative leave when prosecutors notified the department of the investigation in December. He resigned on December 19, the ministry said in a statement posted online.
The two victims saw photos on social media of Collier with children and were concerned when they learned he was a member of a child abuse task force, the affidavit says.
“The Morton Police Department is deeply disturbed by the serious allegations against a former officer,” the department’s statement said. “The behavior described in the charges is extremely disturbing and completely inconsistent with the standards and values expected of those who serve our community.”
Collier did not have a defense attorney, according to court officials.