Foto: Philadelphia Police
A former Philadelphia Police officer has been charged in the fatal shooting of a 12-year-old boy.
Edsaul Mendoza, 26, was charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and possession of an instrument of a crime in relation to the March shooting death of Thomas 'TJ' Siderio, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced in a news conference on Monday (May 2) via NBC News.
Evidence presented to a grand jury showed Mendoza shot three shots at Siderio, which was believed to have occurred after the 12-year-old shot a gun at an unmarked police vehicle, which led to three officers in plain-clothed ducking for cover in response.
Krasner said Mendoza fired the three shots at Siderio during a "tactically unsound" foot chase and the boy tossed his gun around the time of the second shot being fired.
Siderio was only half-a-car length away and face down on the ground when Mendoza fired the third shot.
"At the time of the last two shots, Thomas Siderio was unarmed, having discarded the gun ... approximately 40-feet away," Krasner said.
The district attorney said evidence in the case showed Mendoza was aware that the boy was unarmed during the latter two shots and told a responding officer where the weapon was following the incident.
"He knew the 12 year old, 5-foot tall, 111-pound Thomas Siderio no longer had a gun. ... But he fired a shot through his back nonetheless that killed him," Krasner said.
The district attorney confirmed there is video of the shooting incident, but didn't elaborate further.
He also questioned why the plain-clothed officers stopped the juveniles to begin with and said the grand jury was given diverging accounts of the incident.
Krasner said it's possible that Siderio and the other juvenile involved in the incident may have thought the plain-clothed were actually another group pulling up "to do them harm," rather than police.
The district attorney also said Mendoza, who is being held without bail, made "untruthful" statements regarding where he fired the second and third shots when discussing the incident.