The family of a 12-year-old boy who was fatally shot by a Philadelphia police officer three years ago has agreed to a $3 million settlement with the city.
Thomas “T.J.” Siderio was on the ground and unarmed when the officer, Edsaul Mendoza, fired the fatal shot into his back, authorities have said. The youth had first fired a shot at an unmarked police car, injuring one of four plainclothes officers inside, and he eventually threw a gun down about 40 feet (12 meters) during a foot chase before he was shot and then either tripped or dropped to the ground.
Mendoza, a five-year veteran of the force who was fired a week after the shooting in 2022, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in April 2024. He was sentenced to eight to 20 years in prison.
It’s a lot faster when you work in a profession that gets less training than a hairdresser.