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Philly cop charged with murder in shooting death of Eddie Irizarry

A Philadelphia police officer turned himself in Friday morning to face murder charges for fatally shooting a man sitting in his car — after police-worn body camera footage contradicted his claim that the young man “lunged” at him with a knife.

Mark Dial, 27, was also charged with voluntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment of another person and official oppression for the Aug. 14 shooting of Eddie Irizarry Jr.,  27, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said at a news conference Friday morning as he released the gruesome body camera footage.

It showed Dial — a five-year veteran of the force — approaching Irizarry, who was sitting in his gold Toyota Camry with the windows rolled up, and firing six shots through the window.

His lawyers claim he thought Dial had a gun, but prosecutors say Irizarry did not even have a chance to react to the police officer — who fired his weapon within just five seconds of arriving at the scene.

“These videos speak for themselves,” Krasner said at the news conference.

The 22 minutes of footage show Dial shouting at Irizarry, who remained in his vehicle in the Kensington neighborhood of North Philadelphia.

“Show me your hands, I will f–ing shoot you,” he can be heard yelling at Irizarry, before he fires six shots through the window at nearly point-blank range.

He then radios to his fellow officers, “Shots fired,” and opens the driver’s door.

Inside, Irizarry could be seen lying bloody and motionless in his seat, softly moaning as Dial shouts, “Get your hands up now.”

It also shows Dial and his unidentified partner pulling Irizarry out of the car and loading him into their patrol car to rush him to a nearby hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

The footage contradicted the Philadelphia Police Department’s original statement, which claimed officers gave Irizarry “multiple commands” to drop a knife, but he “lunged at them.”

Officials retracted that statement just about 30 hours later, after reviewing the body camera footage.

Shaka Johnson, a lawyer for the Irizarry family, said last week the footage did indeed show Dial telling Irizarry to “drop the knife.”

Officials retracted that statement just about 30 hours later, after reviewing the body camera footage.

He explained that Irizarry was holding a pocket knife by his leg, but did not appear to be threatening Dial or his partner from the 24th Precinct with it.

The senior Eddie Irizarry, the victim’s father, said he was relieved that the body camera footage was released.

The family had seen the footage privately last week, and called on the district attorney to release it in full.

Irizarry told the Philadelphia Inquirer he believes the footage dispels any notion that his son had done anything wrong, and showed just how quickly Dial shot him.

He also said he hoped Dial would face “severe” punishment, while Zoraida Garcia, the victim’s aunt, said she was relieved that Dial was charged for the shooting.

“I know that’s not bring[ing] my nephew back, but at least he’s paying for a crime he committed,” she told the Inquirer.

“He needs to face murder charges because that’s what he did, he murdered my nephew.”

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