Former Philadelphia police officer Edsaul Mendoza, who was charged with shooting an unarmed 12-year-old, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder. The announcement came from the office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.
The incident took place in March of 2022, when Mendoza pursued Thomas “TJ” Siderio in what has been described as a “tactically unsound” foot chase. Before Mendoza drove him to pursue the boy, Siderio had allegedly shot at an unmarked police vehicle. This prompted three plainclothes officers to seek cover. Mendoza fired three times at Siderio during the chase. District Attorney Krazner claims Siderio was unarmed at the time of being shot, having discarded his weapon approximately 40 feet away.
According to DA Krasner, Siderio was facedown on the ground when the fatal shot was discharged. It remains unclear whether he dove or fell to the ground, and there is evidence suggesting he may have been surrendering at the time of shooting. In the subsequent dialogue, Krasner described the event is “very, very disturbing.”
Legal action against police officers in cases of fatal incidents is rare, according to the Police Violence Report. In fact, they estimate that, as of 2023, only 1% of fatal encounters with the police resulted in charges against the officers. Despite the rarity, there has been an increase in prosecutions for police brutality over the recent years, with several notable cases attracting national attention.
The sentencing for Mendoza’s plea is yet to be determined. The defense team is expected to provide information to aid in a pre-sentencing investigation.