Former Philadelphia police officer Edsaul Mendoza, who fatally shot a 12-year-old boy back in March, has been charged with murder, according to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.
According to NBC News, the district attorney announced during a news conference on Monday, May 2, that a grand jury charged the 26-year-old disgraced policeman with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, and possession of an instrument of a crime in the fatal shooting of Thomas "TJ" Siderio.
According to Krasner, the evidence presented to the grand jury showed Mendoza firing three shots at Siderio after the boy most likely shot a gun at an unmarked police vehicle, causing three plainclothes' officers at the time to duck for cover.
Mendoza fired three shots during a foot chase
Krasner said that Mendoza fired the three shots during a "tactically unsound" foot chase. Siderio then tossed his gun around the second shot from Mendoza's weapon. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Siderio was only half-a-car length away from Mendoza and fell face down on the ground when the cop fired the third shot.
According to Krasner, it was unclear if Siderio fell or dove to the ground shortly before he was fatally shot. Evidence indicated the juvenile might have been turning toward Mendoza to surrender before he was shot and killed by the officer.
Krasner said that Thomas Siderio was unarmed, having discarded the gun approximately 40-feet away at the time of the last two shots. Krasner added that the evidence shows Mendoza was aware that Siderio was unarmed and told a police officer who arrived on the scene where the weapon was after the deadly shooting.
Krasner said that Mendoza 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. A reporter later asked Krasner if Siderio's shooting was an assassination.
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Did Edsaul Mendoza assassinate TJ Siderio?
Krasner answered that it is important not to characterize the shooting at this point, saying, "We are going to have a case that goes before a Philadelphia jury. And a Philadelphia jury is going to have to make a decision that is completely fair. I can tell you that I find this very, very disturbing."
Krasner confirmed there is a video of Siderio's shooting, without elaborating about it, according to NPR. Krasner and prosecutors also revealed that it was unclear why the plain-clothed police officers stopped the juveniles, to begin with.
They noted that diverging accounts were given to the grand jury by officers. Krasner said that under the circumstances, it is not unfathomable that Siderio and the other juvenile with him might not have known they were dealing with cops instead of a group pulling up "to do them harm."
Krasner also said that Mendoza made "untruthful" statements about where he fired the second and third shots from. He is being held with no bail as of Monday.
