Philadelphia Police Department officer Mark Dial, who shot and killed 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry during a traffic stop in Kensington in 2023, has been convicted of manslaughter.
On Thursday, a Philadelphia jury found Dial guilty of manslaughter, possession of an instrument of a crime and recklessly endangering another person. They found him not guilty of the more severe charge of third-degree murder.
Outside the courtroom after the trial, members of Irizarry's family told a group of reporters they were grateful that Dial would be off the streets, and that the verdict represented "some type of justice."
Philadelphia activists are calling the conviction a “win,” while also decrying the city and legal system’s failure to adequately address police killings.
“The fight is far from over,” said organizer and Kensington resident Xiomara Torres. “They’re going to appeal .. this system doesn’t protect us. This system protects them.”
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement that the conviction was “both fair and just.”
Voluntary manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in Pennsylvania. The maximum for third degree murder is double that. Dial's sentencing is set for July 17th.
On Friday, the Philadelphia chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a national anti-capitalist organization, gathered outside the Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice in Center City to chant Irizarry’s name under gathering clouds. Members of the Black Alliance for Peace and Answer Coalition Philly were also present.
“Eddie was a Puerto Rican man driving his car through Kensington," said organizer and Kensington resident Talia Giles. "Eddie was a loved son, brother, nephew. He was a loved community member.”
Several passersby raised their fists in solidarity, and the occasional car honked its horn.
Organizers reminded the crowd that the Philadelphia Police Department initially released false information about Irizarry’s death. A PPD spokesperson told reporters that Irizarry was out of his vehicle and lunging at officers with a knife when officers arrived.
But body camera footage later revealed that Irizarry was seated inside his vehicle when Dial opened fire.
“This is the type of system we live in, where a cop can murder someone on camera in broad daylight, they can lie about it .. and they get off easy,” Torres said. “These cops, especially in the 24th district, are way too comfortable shooting first and asking questions later.”
A Philadelphia police officer shot and killed 28-year-old Alexander Spencer in a liquor store in the 24th police district in late January.
Mayor Cherelle Parker has utilized a police-centered approach in the last year to address public safety concerns and the opioid crisis in Kensington.
She deployed 75 new police academy graduates to the 24th police district last June, primarily along Kensington Avenue. Her proposed 2025 budget funnels millions into police uniforms, officer recruitment, and other public safety initiatives.
The strategy raises concerns for people who’ve historically had negative interactions with police. Organizers last week called on the Philadelphia city government to defund law enforcement and invest more in social services and housing.
“With the flood of rookies all you have is people who are inexperienced, are more likely to get frustrated,” said Norris Square resident Lupe Fernandez-Nuñez, who attended the Friday event.
“I generally hold a fear, just driving. I’m always looking in my rearview mirror, as soon as I pass a cop thinking they’re gonna pull me over for any little thing.”
Activists also held a rally downtown Monday, days before the verdict announcement.
The Citizens Police Oversight Commission, which was created in the wake of George Floyd’s murder to expose police misconduct but has done no independent investigations to date, called the verdict “a rare moment of accountability in a system that too often fails to deliver justice when police use deadly force.”
Between 2005 and 2021 just 139 officers nationally were arrested for murder or manslaughter related to on-duty shootings – that’s about 2% of the fatal police shootings that occur yearly, according to leading criminologists who track the data. Of those, only seven officers were convicted of murder and another 37 of lesser crimes.
In 2018 Philadelphia police officer Ryan Pownall was charged with first degree murder for fatally shooting David Jones the year before. In 2022 a Philadelphia judge dropped those charges, and in 2024 an arbitrator ruled that Pownall will be reinstated on the force with back pay.
Officer Mark Dial initially faced a first-degree murder charge for killing Irizarry, but the courts dropped it in 2024. Frustration about that decision fueled a protest that August, held one year after Irizarry’s death near the Kensington intersection where he was killed.
Kensington-area council member Quetcy Lozada commended the verdict in a statement Friday.
“My hope is that we can begin to move forward and honor Eddie’s memory through meaningful steps to rebuild and strengthen relationships between police and community,” she wrote.
Organizers say they will continue to fight for justice for Irizarry from now until the sentencing in July.
