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On Friday, September 8, a Pennsylvania court charged a Philadelphia police officer with the murder of Eddie Irizarry. According to CNN, 27-year-old Irizarry was fatally shot down by a police officer following a minor driving infraction. In the incident's footage, Irizarry could be seen sitting in his vehicle while reportedly armed with a knife.
Officer Mark Dial, the man charged with killing Irizarry, initially claimed that the suspect had tried to lunge at him. However, prosecutors claimed there was no evidence of this in the video footage.
Trigger warning: This article concerns gun violence, the reader's discretion is advised
The BBC noted that on Friday, September 8, Mark Dial's defense team claimed that before the shooting, the police officer believed that Eddie Irizarry had a gun. However, officials ultimately determined that this may have been unlikely and that the fatal shooting of the Philadelphia man did not follow protocol.
The chronology of Eddie Irizarry's death
On August 14, 2023, Eddie Irizarry was pulled over by Philadelphia police officer Mark Dial for allegedly driving rashly in North Philadelphia.
As seen in the video, Officer Mark Dial got out of his patrol car and approached Irizarry's vehicle before he promptly fired shots through the window, killing him. Before the release of the footage, Dial had claimed that an armed Irizarry had exited his vehicle before 'lunging' at him with a knife.
On Friday, September 8, Mark Dial formally surrendered himself to the police. The Inquirer noted that at the time, he was accompanied by attorneys and officials from Fraternal Order of Police Lodge number 5. In court, Dial stuck to his account of the events, stating that he genuinely believed he was in danger.
However, prosecutors said that video footage showed that even if Irizarry was armed, the victim appeared stationary and posed no serious threat. At this point, Dial's defense claimed that the officer had mistaken the knife for a gun.
Dial's attorney, Brian McMonagle, commented on the shooting incident.
"Fearing that he was going to be the next police officer killed in the streets of Philadelphia, he fired," McMonagle said.
Another member of the defense team, attorney Fortunato Perri Jr., said:
“We intend to vigorously defend him against the charges. Despite what has been portrayed to the media, the facts will unmistakably show that Officer Mark Dial was legally justified in discharging his weapon while fearing for his life.”
However, District Attorney Larry Krasner disagreed, instead stating that the bodycam footage clearly indicated the slaying of Eddie Irizarry was unjustified.
“These body-worn camera videos will be introduced into evidence, most likely at both the preliminary hearing and a trial. They are crucial evidence in the case and in many ways, they speak for themselves,” Krasner said.
As of September 9, the case against Mark Dial is currently ongoing.
