August 14, 2026
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
The Delaware County District Attorney's office concluded an Aldan police officer was justified in the fatal shooting of a man who was armed with a knife. The man was identified Friday as 23-year-old Ugochukwu Ilodigwe.
An Aldan police officer who fatally shot a man armed with a knife last week has been cleared of wrongdoing after an independent investigation by the Delaware County District Attorney's Office, officials said Friday.
The Aug. 6 shooting happened around 3:30 a.m. near South Clifton and Aldan avenues, police said. An officer was sent to the area after the man had called 911 to request a courtesy ride — a service that's provided by the department.
When the officer arrived and stepped out of her patrol car, the man threatened her with a 12-inch kitchen knife, investigators said. The officer repeatedly deployed her Taser, temporarily knocking the man to the ground. The officer ultimately fired shots at the man after he regained his footing and lunged at her, investigators said.
"The officer's actions were justified that night, not just legally, but as a person, they were justified," Rouse said at a news conference Friday.
The finding comes more than a week after the case was handed over to the special investigations unit of the DA's office for a review of officer-worn body-camera footage and other evidence.
On Friday, Montgomery County coroner Janine Darby identified the man who was killed as 23-year-old Ugochukwu Ilodigwe. The cause of death was gunshot wounds and his manner of death was ruled homicide, a medical classification that "does not indicate criminal intent or assign legal responsibility," the coroner said in a statement.
Rouse called the shooting a tragedy before detailing what the investigation found.
"There is a young man in our community who is dead, and there is simply nothing to say that is going to make that better that I can offer today that helps heal that wound," Rouse said. "It is an undeniable tragedy, and I am incredibly sorry for his loss to his family that is grieving."
The DA's office did not immediately identify the police officer who killed Ilodigwe. Aldan Borough Mayor Michael Cici said the officer has been cleared to return to duty.
Footage from the officer's body camera shows how the chaotic encounter escalated. Rouse, who played the video at Friday's news conference, paused several times to describe the words exchanged between Ilodigwe and the officer at the scene.
"What you will see is a young man who, unfortunately, seemed very intent on this outcome," Rouse said.
Ilodigwe pulled out a knife within seconds of the officer's arrival, the video shows.
"We've heard the decedent say, 'Shoot me! Don't shoot me! Shoot me!' and start swinging the knife at the officer, approaching her in kind of a combative stance, waving the knife at her," Rouse said.
The officer first used her Taser on Ilodigwe when he refused to drop the weapon. Her body camera shows Ilodigwe fall to the ground with the knife beside him.
"He's been tased. He's on the ground. He's incapacitated for the moment, and yet, as he's being tased, he is still reaching back for that knife," Rouse said.
The officer can be heard ordering Ilodigwe to put his hands behind his back several times. She reactivates the Taser repeatedly when he fails to comply with her orders, the video shows.
During the struggle, Rouse said Ilodigwe claimed to have a gun in his waistband. Ilodigwe returned to his feet and charged at the officer moments before he was shot, the video shows.
"I'm not joking," the officer says before firing her weapon, immediately knocking Ilodigwe to the ground.
Medics were called to the scene within five seconds of the shooting, and backup officers attempted life-saving measures, Rouse said.
Rouse said the officer had reason to believe Ilodigwe intended to cause her life-threatening bodily harm.
"I can't think of a thing in the world that she could have done differently," Rouse said. "It is very clear from that video, and it's very clear from the aftermath of this incident she desperately wanted to avoid this situation."
Cici praised the investigators at the DA's office, calling their work timely and thorough.
"We appreciate having the benefit of an independent investigation and its conclusion that the officer's actions were justified," Cici said. "... This was a tragic event all around. The conclusion of this investigation doesn't change the fact that a family has lost a loved one, and we recognize the grief they are experiencing."
A GoFundMe campaign to assist Ilodigue's family with funeral and memorial costs had raised more than $4,500 as of Friday afternoon.
