A former Philadelphia officer who fatally shot Eddie Irizarry as he sat in his car faces murder and other charges, District Attorney Larry Krasner announced Friday.
The former officer, Mark Dial, turned himself in Friday morning, Krasner said. It’s not clear if he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
Dial, a five-year veteran, was fired from the Philadelphia Police Department after security video released by an attorney for Irizarry’s family showed him repeatedly firing into the man’s car.
Krasner, who released additional police body camera footage of the Aug. 14 encounter before announcing the charges, said the footage was “extremely difficult to watch.”
“In some ways and for some people, they will be traumatic,” he said.
Mayor Jim Kenney said the footage was “graphic” and offered his condolences to the Irizarry family.
“I recognize that no action that we take as a City can bring him back, but I am confident that the District Attorney’s Office is working toward justice for Mr. Irizarry and his family,” he said in a statement.
In one body camera video, Dial’s partner is seen exiting his vehicle with his firearm drawn. Sound in the video doesn’t begin until after the shooting occurs.
A video from Dial’s body camera shows him approaching the car and shouting, “I’ll f—ing shoot you,” seconds before multiple gunshots are heard.
“Mark, stop,” the other officer says. “Move the car, Mark move the car.”
The officer, who has not been charged or identified, then opens the passenger side door while he radios for assistance.
Krasner’s office said in a news release Friday that Irizarry had a small, open folding knife against his thigh. He then rolled up the driver’s side window, the release states.
Dial opened fire six times into the car, shattering the window and “repeatedly striking Irizarry at close range,” Krasner said.
Irizarry was taken to Temple Hospital where he was pronounced dead. A medical examiner determined that he died from multiple gunshot wounds and that the manner was homicide, according to the district attorney.
“The allegations brought against defendant Mark Dial today are among the most serious in our criminal legal system and are the culmination of weeks of investigative work by the PPD Officer Involved Shooting Investigation team, PPD Internal Affairs, and the independent review of the dedicated public corruption prosecutors in the DA’s Office,” Krasner said in a statement.
“As they do in all criminal proceedings, our Special Investigations Unit will continue to seek the truth of what happened on August 14th and what led to the killing of Mr. Irizarry, who was shot to death in his vehicle with the windows up,” he continued.
In addition to murder, Dial was charged with aggravated assault, voluntary manslaughter, simple assault, reckless endangering of another person and official oppression.
Shaka Johnson, an attorney for Irizarry’s family, previously said that Irizarry, who moved from Puerto Rico when he was 19 and spoke very little English, had been driving erratically and was pulled over by police after driving the wrong way down a single-lane street. He was seated inside his car when he was shot, the security video showed, contradicting an earlier claim from police that he was outside his car.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
