A former Philadelphia police officer, Edsaul Mendoza, who shot and killed 12-year-old Thomas "TJ" Siderio, has been sentenced to eight to 20 years in prison.
In April, Mendoza pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and possession of an instrument of crime as part of a plea deal with the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office after fatally shooting Siderio in the back on March 1, 2022. On Monday, July 22, Mendoza was sentenced and told the court he "felt sorrow and regret," according to the Associated Press.
Mendoza Said Siderio Pointed Gun at Him but Surveillance Footage Contradicted His Claim
As reported by the AP, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said there were times when surveillance footage "contradicted" some of the former cop's claims, including that Siderio pointed a gun at him. He also said, according to the outlet, that he was standing in the street when he fired the bullet, not standing over Siderio on the sidewalk.
Prosecutors said the 12-year-old boy was on the ground and unarmed when Mendoza fired the fatal shot into his back. Police said the youth had first fired a shot at an unmarked police car, injuring one of four plainclothes officers inside. The boy threw a gun down about 40 feet before he was shot and then either tripped or dropped to the ground, according to authorities.
Mendoza Searched for Plane Tickets, Countries with No Extradition Treaties with the US After the Shooting
On Monday, prosecutor Clarke Beljean discussed some of the reasons prosecutors had been pushing for a higher sentence of a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 40 years for Mendoza.
"Mr. Mendoza searched online for plane tickets from New York to the Dominican Republic, which is where he was from," Beljean told reporters in a video shared by the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office on Facebook.
The prosecutor also said the former officer had then searched for the "top five countries" with no extradition treaties with the U.S. while discussing his behavior after the shooting, saying he "immediately searched" for flights to Havana, Cuba, after learning that was one of the countries.
"This was a shocking crime," Beljean told reporters while referencing Siderio being "on his hands and knees" when he was shot, saying there was "no evidence" the boy knew the four men he shot at that day were police officers because they were in plain clothes.
"That was a fair, just and equitable sentencing in this case," Beljean insisted of the sentencing during the media briefing. Mendoza had initially been charged with first-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter charges in Siderio's shooting.
