Mendoza is accused of chasing and shooting at Siderio three times. The last shot hit him in the back. Accounts shown to a grand jury reveal Siderio threw away his weapon some 40 feet from where he dove to the ground and was shot. JoeHoldenCBS3 reports
The investigation shows four undercover officers were parked in an unmarked car in the area of 18th and Barber investigating a teen seen with a firearm on social media. That teen was not Siderio but another young man who was with him.
“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.Video and audio accounts shown to the grand jury reveal Siderio threw away his weapon some 40 feet from where he dove to the ground and was then shot.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw fired Mendoza after the shooting, saying he violated the Philadelphia Police Department’s use of force directive.