A Philadelphia man was fatally shot by an accused felon shortly after the suspect was released from jail on dramatically reduced bail as coronavirus-related court closures have plagued the city.
“This male was on the street with two open felony cases because his bail was reduced from 200K to 12K,” tweeted Derrick Wood, the commanding officer of the Philadelphia Police Department’s southwestern division. “This is ridiculous and another example of bail decisions that are being made without considering the safety of the community. Consequences matter.”
This male was on the street with two open felony cases because his bail was reduced from 200K to 12K. This is ridiculous and another example of bail decisions that are being made without considering the safety of the community. Consequences matter. https://t.co/5sl9pTW7Jj
— Derrick Wood (@PPDDerrickWood) January 17, 2021
The suspect, 20-year-old Josephus Davis, is being charged with the murder of 25-year-old Milan Loncar. Surveillance cameras captured a video of two men approaching Loncar, who was walking his dog. They then pointed a gun at him and reached into his pants pocket. Loncar was shot once in the chest during the incident.
District Attorney Larry Krasner said his office had urged judges in two separate cases to hold Davis in jail, “yet bail was lowered by judges over our objections.” Davis was being held on two separate felony charges, which included murder, conspiracy, robbery, and illegal firearm offenses.
Davis had been arrested multiple times leading up to the fatal shooting. He was charged with kidnapping for ransom, robbery, car theft, and firearms violations in February 2020 after an incident involving an Uber driver.
Bail in that case was initially set to $100,000, but Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge Teresa Carr Deni lowered the amount to $20,000 after authorities failed eight times to hold a preliminary hearing in the case, in part due to court closures brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
While in jail, Davis was charged again for allegedly attacking a prison guard. Bail in that case was set to $200,000, but Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge Charles Hayden reduced the bail to just $12,000.
On Dec. 29, Davis posted the required 10% bail of both $1,200 and $2,000 and was released from jail. On Jan. 13, Loncar was fatally shot.
“This is disgusting and inexcusable,” Philadelphia Police Department Capt. Matthew Gillespie said. “It is nauseating to hear of the constant bail reductions on violent individuals. Milan and this city deserves better.”
Less than two hours after Loncar was fatally shot, Davis was arrested by police on an unrelated charge of carjacking a day prior to the shooting.
Loncar, a recent Temple University graduate, was still clutching his dog leash when police arrived in an attempt to assist him. He was planning to move in with his girlfriend next month.
Police have also arrested a second suspect who has yet to be publicly identified in connection to Loncar’s murder.
