District Attorney Larry Krasner announced Monday that a former Philadelphia police officer has been charged with murder for fatally shooting 12-year-old Thomas “TJ” Siderio in South Philadelphia.
Former officer Edsaul Mendoza, according to Krasner, is facing multiple charges in connection with the fatal shooting, including first-degree murder, third-degree murder, and voluntary manslaughter.
Mendoza is in custody and is being held without bail, according to Krasner, who added that no bail is customary given the seriousness of the charges.
Around 7 p.m. on March 1, four plainclothes officers in an unmarked car saw two juveniles riding bikes near the 1700 block of Barbara Street.
Investigators say officers noticed one of the juveniles had a handgun and activated the emergency lights to confront him. The armed teen, identified as Siderio, fired a shot at the passenger side window, narrowly missing the officers.
Authorities say two officers returned fire, hitting Siderio in the chest. Siderio died after being taken to Presbyterian Hospital.
On March 9, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw suspended the officer for 30 days with intent to dismiss for violating the department’s use of force directive.
“A grand jury was convened to hear the facts of the case and see evidence,” Krasner says. Krasner says Siderio was unarmed when Mendoza shot him.
Mendoza allegedly followed Siderio in a “tactically unsound foot chase” after Siderio fired the first shot.
One officer fired “at no particular target,” while Mendoza fired three times, once at the start of the foot chase, twice in the middle of Barbara Street, and once while standing on the sidewalk “relatively close to Thomas Siderio.” Siderio was unarmed when Mendoza fired the last two shots, he said, because he had dropped his gun 40 feet back.
“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,” he said. “It is certain that Thomas Siderio at the time he was shot was essentially face down on the sidewalk. That he was in a position that approximates sort of a push-up turning back towards where the officer was pursuing him. Perhaps turning to look at the officer who was pursuing him when he was shot in the back.”
