Mar 28, 2008 8:55 am US/Eastern
Upper Gwynedd Officer Found Fatally Wounded
UPPER GWYNEDD, Pa. (CBS 3) ―
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The Montgomery County District Attorney's office said a detective with the Upper Gwynedd police department was found dead in a storage room behind the station.
CBS
Police in Montgomery County are investigating the death of a fellow officer who was found shot to death in an evidence room Thursday. Authorities said no foul play is suspected.
Authorities said the body of Detective Sergeant James Pifer was found inside an evidence storage room behind the Upper Gwynedd Police Station at about 7:00 p.m.
The Montgomery County District Attorney's office confirmed Pifer shot himself once in the head while on duty. Sergeant Pifer, in his 40s, had been on the force since 1995.
"His death is a great loss to law enforcement, a great loss to this department and a great loss to the citizens in this community," First Assistant District Attorney Kevin Steele said.
Sergeant Pifer's colleagues are devastated by the tragic loss.
"Sergeant Pifer was a very valued and loved member of the police department and of the Upper Gwynedd Township community and we are going to do whatever we can to help his family," Chief David Duffy said.
Detective Sergeant Pifer, who was married and had children, was previously a dispatcher in Hatfield and a police officer in Lancaster County before rising up in the ranks.
Steele said the reasons for the shooting are unclear.
"It does not appear that there's anything out of the ordinary and everyone is shocked by what's happened," Steele said.
An autopsy is scheduled for Friday.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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