On this day in 1996, Hilltop Hustler and Steady B affiliate Cool C shot and killed Philadelphia Police Officer Lauretha Ward in a brazen bank robbery attempt that landed him and Steady B behind bars with life sentences. Coll C, whose real name is Christopher Roney, was originally sentenced to the death penalty but was granted a stay of execution.
Along with Steady B and Philly rapper Mark Canty, the “Glamorous Life’ rapper attempted to rob the PNC Bank in Feltonville, PA but instead exchanged gunfire with police after a silent alarm was tripped. As the trio exited the bank, Roney exchanged fire with another police officer before he and Canty dropped their weapons at the scene and fled in a stolen minivan driven by Steady B.
Roney was arrested on October 30, 1996 and charged with first degree murder. He was sentenced to death by lethal injection, however, Roney has been granted two stays of execution since his death warrant was signed in January 2006.
