Newly released video shows moment Philadelphia officer opened fire during traffic stop, killing driver

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Video of the police shooting that claimed the life of a 27-year-old man in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood last week has been released. 

Shaka Johnson, an attorney representing the family of Eddie Irizarry, held a press conference with family members on Tuesday where they shared home surveillance video of the deadly shooting.

Philadelphia police say that around noon on Monday, Aug. 14 officers initiated a traffic stop on an erratic driver in the area of B and Erie streets. 

The driver, later identified as Irizarry, turned the wrong way down Willard Street before coming to a stop. 

Video released Tuesday shows the officers pull up alongside Irizarry’s vehicle and quickly exit the vehicle with their guns drawn. 

One of the officers makes his way over the driver’s side door, and fires into the vehicle where Irizarry was still seated.  

That officer has since been identified as Officer Mark Dial, a five-year veteran of the force. 

According to the video released Tuesday, less than 10 seconds transpired between the time the officers stepped out of their vehicle and the fatal shots were fired. 

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Police have said that second officer had attempted to open Irizarry’s passenger side door when he spotted a knife, then alerted Dial that Irizarry had a weapon. 

Initial information provided by police claimed that Irizarry had gotten out of his vehicle with a knife and lunged at officers, ignoring commands to drop the weapon. By the following evening, the department changed their account of the shooting, stating that Irizarry was actually seated inside of the vehicle when he was shot. 

Johnson took aim at the department’s initial report after sharing the video on Tuesday. 

"What about what you just saw could ever be confused as ‘he got out of the car and lunged at police officers,’" Johnson said. "Not a single thing. That was an out and out, flat out lie." 

Two knives were later observed inside the vehicle, according to police, who towed the vehicle to a garage as evidence.

The video released Tuesday also shows the officers pulling Irizarry out of the car after the shooting and loading him into their patrol car to rush him to a nearby hospital where he later died. 

Police say both officers were equipped with body-worn cameras that were activated at the time of the shooting. That footage has not yet been released.

FOX 29 has made multiple inquiries with city officials about a timeline for the release the body-worm camera video.

Johnson claims that the family was originally offered an opportunity – by the city solicitor’s office - to view the body-worn camera video the week of the incident. That offer was later ‘rescinded’ by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, who Johnson says cited the ‘ongoing investigation. 

Irizarry was described by Johnson during Tuesday’s press conference as a young man who had never had a ‘negative encounter with police’ and came to Philadelphia from Puerto Rico at the age of 19. 

Johnson says that Irizarry also did not speak English and had battled with schizophrenia for many years. 

As the Philadelphia Police Department continues their internal investigation, the Citizen's Police Oversight Commission on Tuesday called for the termination of Officer Dial.

"This agency was created for moments such as this," the statement read. "It is our responsibility to hold our police department accountable and also amplify the voices of the community."

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw and Mayor Jim Kenney will comment on the investigation during a Wednesday afternoon press conference.