Eric Torres had an arrest record longer than his own arm and had been charged at least five times previously with assaulting police officers by the time he encountered Officer Edward Davies and his colleagues from the 25th district on Aug. 13, 2013.
But Torres, a Feltonville resident and convicted drug dealer, had spent relatively little time behind bars despite his reign of mayhem over the previous decade. In fact, in most of his cases, Torres had gotten off scot-free.
That changed on March 10 when a jury convicted him in the near-fatal shooting of Davies and the aggravated assault of three other officers. But Torres still managed to dodge one bullet, as jurors acquitted him of an attempted murder charge.
Torres, 33, formerly of the 400 block of W. Raymond St., is still looking at at least 20 to 40 years behind bars and the possibility of more than 80, while Davies, 42, of the Northeast, faces a lifetime of recovery from abdominal wounds that cost him a large amount of blood and a kidney.
Davies was placed in a medically induced coma for three weeks and had numerous surgeries to treat his injuries. He spent 37 days in a hospital, still walks with a cane and is due for additional surgery, according to his testimony during Torres’ seven-day trial.
The shooting occurred inside a corner store at Fourth and West Annsbury streets less than a block from Torres’ residence. Yet another melee involving Torres and police precipitated the gunfire.
It began with a car-stop that afternoon near Fifth and Allegheny. Torres was driving a 1998 BMW and handed his ID to the officer, but then he drove away. The cop pursued Torres for a bit before he disengaged. Torres crashed and abandoned his car at Bristol Street and Rising Sun Avenue, fleeing on foot to the corner store near his house.
Police, including Davies, tracked him there and tried to grab Torres, who fought back violently. Four cops had Torres face-down on the floor but the suspect refused to be handcuffed, keeping his hands concealed under his body. He also had a gun. During the scuffle, Torres fired a shot that struck Davies in the abdomen. Police eventually arrested Torres at the scene.
The trial jury deliberated for about nine hours over three days to reach its verdict, which also included drug possession and distribution, and firearms offenses. Common Pleas Court Judge Charles A. Ehrlich convicted Torres further on one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The defendant had waived his right to a jury trial on that charge. Ehrlich set sentencing for June 8. ••
