12-Year-Old Boy Dead After Being Shot In The Back By Disgraced Philly Cop

A police officer in Philadelphia will reportedly be fired after shooting and killing a 12-year-old child on Tuesday, March 1, with an extensive investigation being planned due to the circumstances of the killing.

Twelve-year-old Thomas Siderio, who allegedly fired into an unmarked police car with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, was shot dead by an unidentified police officer in the back after he attempted to run away from the scene, according to the New York Daily News.

The officer has been suspended for 30 days and will be fired at the end of the suspension. Although it is believed that Siderio fired the gun into the car, the gun recovered at the scene has not been conclusively linked to Siderio at all, NBC Philadelphia reported.

“Based off the evidence I reviewed, it's clear that the use of force policy was violated,” police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said. “All use of force has to be proportionate to the resistance they are trying to overcome. I will also tell you that our policy states excessive force will not be tolerated. That's the gist of what we're talking about.”

Many police officers have attempted to distance themselves from the incident, and the Fraternal Order of Police, a police union, has separated themselves from the incident as not representational of the values of the police.

“This incident does not reflect who we are as the Philadelphia Police Department. It is not aligned with our values of honor, integrity and service. And while I don't speak for the FOP, we're all still cops, and we all understand the gravity of the situation behind this incident,” Outlaw said.

District Attorney Larry Krasner has said in a statement that they are investigating the four officers involved in the incident, where they chased Siderio and the other boy he was with until the officer shot Siderio in the back.

“Philadelphians are owed a comprehensive and transparent accounting of all activity surrounding the circumstances of young Thomas Siderio’s death and an unbiased and thorough investigation,” Krasner said.

Siderio was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. The other boy with Siderio is currently wanted for questioning, and his mom has gone out publicly to denounce the way the police have portrayed the incident.

“They're saying the cop car turned their lights on, that never happened,” the mother said. “So they didn't make themselves known as police officers. So the two kids assumed it was somebody from another neighborhood so the one kid shot at the car.”

Siderio’s family is filing a civil suit for his death against the Philadelphia Police Department.