by Matt Agorist, The Free Thought Project:
Philadelphia, PA — In March, a tragedy unfolded in Philadelphia after a 12-year-old boy was shot in the back and killed. The boy was running from several police officers when two of them opened fire. Police have since claimed that even though 12-year-old Thomas Siderio was running away, he was still a threat. Apparently, that narrative is now changing, however, as the officer who fired the fatal shot was fired — and is now formally charged with first-degree murder.
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On Tuesday, CBS Philadelphia reported the district attorney said evidence shows that officer Edsaul Mendoza knew the boy was unarmed when he shot him in the back.
The now-former officer Mendoza was formally arraigned on Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, and other charges in connection to the fatal shooting of Thomas.
Police admitted that Thomas was unarmed when Mendoza killed him. In a press conference in May, district attorney Larry Krasner admitted the gun found on the scene was over 40 feet away from Thomas when he was killed.
“The gun was sitting on the street, below the curb line, nearly 40 feet away. Thus, when officer Mendoza fired the third and fatal shot, he knew the 12-year-old, 5-foot tall, 111-pound Thomas Siderio no longer had a gun and no ability to harm him. But he fired a shot through his back, nonetheless, that killed him,” Krasner said.
“It is certain that Thomas Siderio, at the time he was shot, had stopped running…” – @DA_LarryKrasner https://t.co/vyZXVLvmr3 @CBSPhilly pic.twitter.com/YEgp1ZemC1
— Matt Petrillo (@MattPetrillo) May 2, 2022
As we reported at the time, the incident unfolded on March 1, as four undercover cops, in an unmarked car, saw the boy and another child standing on the street corner. The officers claimed that one of the children appeared to be holding a handgun.
According to police, as they activated their lights in the undercover vehicle, the officers heard gunfire and a bullet came through the back passenger side of the vehicle. The officers stopped the car at which point two of them exited and shot at Thomas, who they claimed was holding a gun.
Two officers fired at least one round at Thomas, missing him.
After the initial gunfire, Mendoza reportedly chased after Thomas as he fled. That officer fired two times with one of the bullets striking Thomas in his back. Police said the bullet exited his chest.
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