Fired former police officer charged with murder over shooting of fleeing 12-year-old boy
Thomas Siderio, 12, had allegedly fired at police before tossing his gun and was lying face down trying to surrender when he was killed
A former Philadelphia police officer who shot dead a 12-year-old boy as he lay face down on the sidewalk has been charged with murder.
Edsaul Mendoza was charged Monday with first and third-degree murder over the shooting of Thomas “TJ” Siderio, who police allege fired a shot at an unmarked police car, injuring one of four plainclothes officers inside, before tossing his gun and trying to surrender.
District Attorney Larry Krasner announced Mr Mendoza would also face voluntary manslaughter and other charges stemming from the 1 March shooting.
Mr Mendoza surrendered on Sunday and was denied bail, a rare move for a former law enforcement officers facing charges.
New details of the shooting were revealed by Mr Krasner at a press conference and in unsealed grand jury documents.
According to the district attorney, four officers were patrolling Barbara St in South Philadelphia in an unmarked vehicle at around 7pm on 1 March when they spotted two juveniles on bikes.
Investigators say an officer noticed that one of the youths was carrying a handgun.
As they turned on the emergency lights to confront the juvenile, he fired a shot at the car’s passenger window. The juvenile was allegedly identified as Thomas “TJ” Siderio.
Mr Krasner said after the shot was fired, Mr Mendoza followed the 12-year-old in what he described as a “tactically unsound foot chase”.
He said Mr Mendoza fired three times during the pursuit; first as the chase began, then as he crossed Barbara St, and again while standing on the sidewalk “relatively close to Thomas Siderio”.
The district attorney said Thomas Siderio had either tripped or obeyed a command to get down and was lying face down on the sidewalk when he was shot.
The youth had dropped his gun 40 feet (12m) behind him and was unarmed when Mr Mendoza fired the final two shots, Mr Krasner said.
“Forty feet is a long way. It is certain that Thomas Siderio at the time he was shot had stopped running and that he was possibly surrendering,” Mr Krasner told the news conference.
He added a second unnamed officer fired his weapon “at no target in particular” during the chase.
Mr Krasner said much of the evidence was based on a video that has not been publicly released, and it would continue to be examined by the grand jury.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw in March said the shooting breached the department’s use of force directive.
“I have made the decision to utilize Commissioner’s Direct Action to suspend Officer #1 with the intent to dismiss the officer at the end of 30 days due to violations of our use of force directive,” Ms Outlaw said at the time.
Court records showed the public defender’s office represented Mendoza at his bail hearing on Monday.
A spokeperson for the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 said the union would provide an attorney for Mr Mendoza.
Mr Mendoza was suspended from his job on 8 March with intent to fire.
Associated Press contributed to this report