Authorities say the 38-year-old fired first during a predawn confrontation in Bala Cynwyd.
BALA CYNWYD, PA — A former part-time police officer charged with raping a child was shot and killed by police early Wednesday after investigators said he opened fire when officers approached him near the border of Philadelphia and Montgomery County.
The death of Francis Connell Collier, 38, came one day after court records show he was charged with multiple offenses tied to alleged sexual abuse reported by a family member. The shooting, now under investigation by county detectives and the district attorney’s office, unfolded along a busy corridor near Saint Joseph’s University and triggered road closures and a heavy police presence through the morning.
Investigators said the confrontation began shortly before 4 a.m. on Feb. 25, 2026, in the unit block of Old Lancaster Road in Bala Cynwyd. Authorities said officers were trying to serve a warrant when they spotted Collier’s vehicle and confronted him as he returned to it. The district attorney’s office said Collier fired at officers and they returned fire, fatally wounding him. No officers were reported to have been shot.
By daylight, yellow police tape stretched across sections of Old Lancaster Road as evidence markers dotted the pavement and nearby curb lines. Officers and investigators moved carefully along the roadway, scanning for shell casings and documenting the scene. A Jeep Grand Cherokee that authorities said Collier was using was towed from the area as detectives continued their work. Nearby intersections remained partially blocked for hours, and residents watched from sidewalks and porches as police redirected traffic.
The case against Collier had accelerated in the days leading up to the shooting. According to information released by authorities and court documents, the investigation began after an adult female relative reported in December 2025 that she had been raped as a child years earlier. The report was made to police in Delaware County, and the case later moved to the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office. Collier was formally charged Tuesday, Feb. 24, with offenses that included rape of a child, involuntary sexual intercourse with a child, incest of a minor, endangering the welfare of children and indecent assault, according to a docket and officials familiar with the case.
Authorities did not identify the alleged victim by name, and they did not release the victim’s age at the time beyond describing the allegations as child rape. Investigators have not detailed how many incidents are alleged, the specific locations tied to the reported abuse, or whether additional people may come forward. Officials also have not described what led officers to Collier’s location in Bala Cynwyd early Wednesday, other than saying they were serving a warrant and encountered him near his vehicle.
Collier’s law enforcement work has become a central part of the public questions surrounding the case. Officials said he most recently served as a part-time officer with the Morton Borough Police Department in Delaware County. In a statement released after the shooting, Morton police said the department learned in December 2025 that Collier was under investigation over criminal allegations from many years earlier. The department said he was placed on unpaid administrative leave and resigned on Dec. 19, 2025.
“The Morton Police Department is deeply troubled by the serious allegations against a former officer,” the department said in its statement. “The conduct described in the charges is profoundly disturbing and wholly inconsistent with the standards and values expected of those who serve our community.” The department added that there had been no allegations of criminal conduct against Collier during his time as a Morton officer.
Sources familiar with the investigation said Collier had been assigned during his law enforcement career to a child abuse and exploitation task force in Delaware County, a detail that has intensified scrutiny around the case and the agencies involved. Officials have not released full employment records showing his prior assignments, training, or the dates he served in specific roles, and they have not said whether any internal reviews are planned beyond the standard steps taken after an officer-involved shooting.
The shooting itself is expected to be reviewed on multiple tracks. The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, which announced the basic sequence of events, said county detectives would handle the investigation into the use of deadly force. Authorities have not said whether body camera video exists, whether surveillance cameras captured the encounter, or whether audio recordings will be released. They also have not publicly identified the officers who fired their weapons, a step that is often delayed until preliminary interviews are completed.
Police also worked to reassure the public as officers secured the area. Lower Merion police posted online early Wednesday that the incident was contained and that there was no threat to the public. The scene sat close to the edge of Saint Joseph’s University, near the City Avenue corridor that marks a boundary between Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs. Students and commuters who typically use the route faced detours as investigators documented the scene and cleared the roadway.
The setting underscored how quickly the case moved from a sealed court process to a public emergency. On Tuesday, prosecutors filed charges in a case that, by accounts from investigators, involved allegations reaching back many years. Less than 24 hours later, the suspect was dead after a confrontation with police. For investigators, that timing can complicate the next steps, including how evidence is presented in court and how remaining questions about the underlying allegations are handled without a defendant available for prosecution.
Legal experts note that when a suspect dies, criminal charges do not proceed to a trial, but the investigation into the reported crimes can continue to document what happened and to support victims and witnesses. Authorities have not said whether they will release additional details from the charging documents, whether other agencies are reviewing Collier’s prior work, or whether anyone else could face charges connected to the underlying allegations. Officials have also not said whether the attorney general’s office plans to make a public statement beyond confirming the filing of charges.
In Bala Cynwyd, the visible response remained intense through the morning. Police cruisers and unmarked vehicles lined parts of Old Lancaster Road, and investigators in protective vests walked the block with cameras and evidence collection bags. Residents described being awakened by the sound of gunfire and sirens, then seeing a rush of officers closing in on the area. Some neighbors said they recognized the road as a common shortcut between City Avenue and surrounding neighborhoods and were surprised to see it turned into a crime scene.
Officials have not released an autopsy timeline, but the medical examiner is expected to determine Collier’s cause and manner of death. Investigators will also document the number of shots fired, collect and test firearms involved, and match casings and bullets through standard forensic work. Authorities have not said whether Collier was struck while inside or outside the vehicle, how close he was to officers when shots were fired, or whether he had any opportunity to surrender before firing, questions that often become central in use-of-force reviews.
For Morton Borough, the case has opened an uncomfortable window into how small departments handle allegations against part-time personnel, especially when claims involve conduct that dates back years and is reported long after the alleged crimes. Morton police said they acted by placing Collier on leave once they were notified of the investigation. Officials have not said what information was shared with the department when the case surfaced, how quickly it moved to state investigators, or whether Collier had been working any shifts at the time he was placed on leave.
By late morning Wednesday, the most immediate questions centered on the shooting: the exact sequence of events at 3:48 a.m., how many rounds were fired, and what evidence supports investigators’ claim that Collier fired first. The broader questions, tied to the rape case, remained largely sealed behind court filings and privacy protections for victims. Officials said the investigation would continue, and they signaled that additional information would be released as facts are confirmed.
Author note: Last updated February 25, 2026.