Officials will fire a Philadelphia police officer who they say failed to help the victim of a deadly hit-and-run both before and after the crash. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel made the announcement during a press conference on Monday, Sept. 14. “All of us, whether you’re a Philadelphia police officer, or you can be an officer on the other side of the country, have a duty to follow an officer’s code of ethics,” Bethel said. “In those ethics, we specifically describe, ‘My fundamental duty is to serve the community and safeguard the lives and property.’ He did not do that on that day and as a result of that he has been given 30 days to dismissal from the police department.” Despite the firing, officials have not revealed the officer’s name, only saying he had worked in the 35th district and had been with the department for two years. On Thursday, Aug. 27, around 1:40 a.m., a man — later identified by police as 48-year-old Eugene Beauford — was walking with an unsteady gait in the bike lane along the 5500 block of Rising Sun Avenue when he was approached by the officer. The officer was driving in the area then pulled up next to Beauford and began to speak with him while still inside his vehicle, according to police. During the conversation, Beauford fell to the ground. The officer then exited the vehicle and continued to speak to Beauford who remained on the ground in the bike lane. Video obtained by NBC10 showed the officer going back into his car and driving away from the scene as Beauford remained on the ground.   At some point, another person walked over to Beauford and began to speak with him. At that point, Beauford was lying partially in the street as well as the bike lane. That observer eventually left Beauford who remained on the ground. The video then shows a vehicle – described by investigators as a 2023-2026 jungle green Kia Sportage, X-Line – go around another vehicle and run Beauford over. Video then shows the Sportage – which had black and chrome rims — continue eastbound on Tabor Road without stopping. Both the initial witness and a second person then moved Beauford onto a curb and called 911. Both medics and the officer who initially spoke with Beauford then arrived at the scene. Police said the officer once again failed to render aid to Beauford and never filed a report. Medics then took Beauford to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Police later announced that they recovered the hit-and-run vehicle and spoke with the driver. They have not announced any arrests or charges at this point, however. During a press conference on Aug. 28, First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford criticized the officer who initially encountered Beauford before the crash, saying that his conduct went “against everything we stand for.” “We talk about empathy. We talk about compassion as an organization,” Stanford said. “And none of those things were on display.” This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less