A former Philadelphia police officer who pleaded guilty to the murder of a fleeing 12-year-old boy was sentenced on Monday to a minimum of eight years in prison.
Edsaul Mendoza, a five-year veteran of the force who was dismissed a week after the 2022 shooting, admitted to third-degree murder in April for the death of Thomas “T.J.” Siderio.
Before receiving his sentence of 8 to 20 years, Mendoza expressed sorrow and regret in court. Initially facing charges of first- and third-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter, he agreed to a plea deal. His attorney did not immediately provide a comment, and specific details of the sentencing provisions were not available.
Prosecutors revealed that the 12-year-old was unarmed and on the ground when Mendoza fired the fatal shot into his back. According to police, the boy had previously fired a shot at an unmarked police car, injuring one of the four plainclothes officers inside.
Authorities stated that the boy discarded his gun about 40 feet before he was shot and then either tripped or dropped to the ground.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner noted that surveillance video contradicted some of Mendoza’s statements, including his claim that the boy pointed a gun at him and that he was standing in the street when he fired, rather than almost over the boy on the sidewalk, as presented to a grand jury.
The four officers, in an unmarked car, were investigating a firearm case and had been looking for a teenager. They spotted Siderio and an unnamed 17-year-old, maneuvered their car around the block, and initiated a stop.
Prosecutors stated that as the officers turned on their red and blue lights, a shot was fired through the back passenger window, ricocheting inside the car. One officer sustained eye and facial injuries from broken glass.
Mendoza and another officer exited the car and fired one shot each. Mendoza then chased Siderio down the block, firing twice and hitting the boy once in the back at what prosecutors described as “relatively close range.”