Veteran state trooper charged in colleague's death
Cpl. Richard Schroeter faces reckless-endangerment charges after allegedly shooting Officer David Kedra in a training session Sept. 30.

A VETERAN State Police officer faces criminal charges after a grand jury concluded that he "breached routine, yet critical, safety protocol" in a firearms-training mishap that killed a young colleague, officials said yesterday.
The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office has charged Cpl. Richard Schroeter, 42, with five counts of reckless endangerment in the death of Officer David Kedra, who was shot during a training session on Sept. 30.
Schroeter, a 20-year veteran of the State Police, was conducting the course at the Montgomery County Public Safety Training Center in Conshohocken when he allegedly pulled the trigger of his "duty-issued firearm" to demonstrate the "trigger mechanics" of the weapon, a new model that the department is supplying its officers, the D.A.'s office said in a statement.
A live round inside the handgun discharged, striking Kedra, 26, in the abdomen. He was airlifted to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead later that night.
Timothy Woodward, Schroeter's lawyer, said his client is "racked with remorse" over the death of Kedra, who had joined the State Police in 2012 after graduating from Temple University.
"There's not a day that goes by that he doesn't deeply regret what occurred - the loss of an innocent life," he said of Schroeter, whose teary-eyed mug shot was featured by local media yesterday.
Meanwhile, Kedra's family railed against the charges, saying they're not severe enough.
"This is a slap on the wrist for this man, and a slap in the face for David, our family, and for justice," said Kedra's sister Christine. "Richard Schroeter shot my brother to death, and he is being charged for a lesser crime that won't even prevent him from owning a gun."
Christine Kedra also wants "an independent special prosecutor to look into this case," she said, adding that her brother "deserves justice from the very system that he died for, and we will not rest until we have it."
Schroeter waived his preliminary hearing and is free after posting 10 percent of his $50,000 bail, Woodward said.
He has been suspended without pay pending the completion of this litigation, a State Police spokesman said last night.
The criminal charges come on the heels of a months-long grand-jury investigation, in which members pored over testimony and statements from first responders, firearms experts and the four other troopers present when the fatal shot was fired, according to the statement from the D.A's office.
Last month, the grand jury found insufficient evidence to charge Schroeter with involuntary manslaughter, but instead recommended reckless endangerment. They cited Schroeter's experience as a firearms instructor, as well as his failure to "visually and physically check" that the gun was unloaded and "point his weapon away from" the others in the room, the statement says.
District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman approved those charges, and Schroeter was taken into custody.
"In my judgment, [the grand jury's] recommendation is clear," Ferman said yesterday by phone from a conference in Pittsburgh. "Justice requires responsibility for such egregious actions, and that's why I decided to accept this recommendation and file these charges."
Ferman added that her "heart goes out" to the Kedras as they cope with their loss.
"We're all mindful that nothing we can do can bring David back," she said, "but we hope to take action in the criminal-justice system and ensure accountability for the person responsible."