Philadelphia Officer Dillman suicide while driving

Officer Who Shot Himself Was Under Investigation
The Philadelphia Inquirer
By Allison Steele
Sat, Jan. 16, 2010

An off-duty police officer who committed suicide in his truck Wednesday night was under investigation by the department's Internal Affairs division, Philadelphia police said yesterday.

Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey would not comment on the nature of the investigation surrounding Officer Joseph Dillman, 53, a member of the Highway Patrol Unit.

"Whether it had anything to do with his decision to end his life, the only person who would know that would be him," Ramsey said.

Dillman learned of the investigation shortly before he killed himself, possibly on the same day, police sources said. The investigation was in an early stage, Ramsey said, and no findings had been made.

Dillman himself had not been officially informed of the allegations against him and apparently learned of the inquiry from people who had been contacted by investigators, Ramsey said.

Dillman shot himself while driving on Kelly Drive around 9 p.m. Wednesday, police said. His pickup truck hit a tree, then crashed into a bridge support near Brewery Hill Road. Police found him with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head, and a 9mm handgun nearby.

Dillman was married, with three children. Records show that he began working for the city in 1977 and joined the Police Department in 1990.

Contact staff writer Allison Steele at 215-854-2641 or asteele@phillynews.com.


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