PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia police officer who fatally shot a 12-year-old boy after the boy allegedly fired into an unmarked police car and fled on foot will be fired, authorities said Tuesday.
Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw announced that the officer will be suspended for 30 days, starting Friday, after which she intends to dismiss him for violating the department's"use-of-force directive."
The officers approached two juveniles -- a 17-year-old boy who they wanted to question and the 12-year-old boy -- with the car's emergency lights on, according to Outlaw. The 12-year-old boy, identified by authorities as Thomas Siderio, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, police said. The officers were placed on administrative duty following the shooting, police said. The department did not have any further information Tuesday on the status of the other officers due to the ongoing investigation.
"The death of a child is always a tragedy, and in this instance, a factually complex and deeply troubling one based on preliminary investigative information," District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement.