Fired Philadelphia police officer Mark Dial is charged with murder for fatally shooting Eddie Irizarry FIVE SECONDS after pulling him over for ‘erratic driving’
- Mark Dial shot and killed motorist Eddi Irizarry in Philadelphia on August 14
- He was fired a week later and is now facing a slew of charges, including murder
- Footage shows Dial shooting Irizarry through the driver’s side window
Former Philadelphia police officer Mark Dial has been charged with murder for killing a 27-year-old driver last month after surveillance footage showed him shooting him through his car window.
Mark Dial fatally shot motorist Eddie Irizarry through his car window in North Philadelphia on August 14 – just five seconds after he got out of his patrol car.
Dial, who was fired a week later, has now been charged with murder, voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment and official oppression, the district attorney announced.
He turned himself in to police earlier on Friday.
Police initially claimed Irizarry was “driving erratically” before getting out of his car with a knife and lunging at officers.
Philadelphia police officer Mark Dial fatally shot 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry in August
Irizarry was shot and killed by Dial through his car window in North Philadelphia on August 14, just five seconds after he stepped out of his patrol vehicle, newly released footage shows.
But Shaka Johnson, the attorney representing Irizarry’s family, released surveillance footage from a nearby home during a press conference on August 23 to refute the police story.
In the surveillance video, taken almost across the street from the crime scene, Dial is heard yelling “I’ll shoot you” at Irizarry before opening fire at point-blank range through the driver’s side window.
He is then seen shooting through the windshield again as he ran backwards and circled the car.
“Shots fired, shots fired,” one of the officers said over the police radio.
Irisarian was shot six times and was seen in the video writhing in pain.
The officers pulled Irizarry’s body from the driver’s seat and carried him by his arms and one of his legs to their police van.
Johnson explained that he and the victim’s family returned to the block where the shooting occurred in search of footage.
He said the police story was “an intentional deception of the public,” adding that he planned to file a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the family against Dial and the city of Philadelphia.
“In my opinion,” Johnson said, “this is a crime against humanity, to be quite honest.”
Police changed their account of the shooting the day after the surveillance video was released, and Dial was suspended for 30 days and then fired for insubordination.
Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw alleged that Dial was uncooperative in the investigation into the shooting and refused to follow orders from a superior.
Bodycam footage of the incident will be released within two weeks, District Attorney Larry Krasner said. According to their lawyer, Irizarry’s family has already viewed the images.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney previously called the death “a tragedy.”
“This is certainly a tragedy and my heart breaks for the family and for the loss of Mr. Irizarry,” Kenney told reporters.
Adding, “the investigation will bring up whatever it will bring up, and we’ll go from there.”
This is a development story