PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Family and close friends of Eddie Irizarry on Wednesday evening gathered at a cemetery in Tacony for a balloon release in his memory.
It was an emotional day, one year exactly after Irizarry was killed during a traffic stop in Fairhill. Flowers, lights and a gold chain with a pendant were part of a small memorial constructed at Magnolia Cemetery.
Friends and family who were gathered held on to red and white balloons tethered on ribbons. After a countdown, they let go of the ribbons, and the balloons drifted skyward, getting smaller and smaller as the distance grew greater.
Former police officer Mark Dial shot and killed Irizarry on Aug. 14, 2023, as he sat in his car during a traffic stop in Fairhill. Police say Irizarry had a knife with him in the front seat. Dial’s defense attorneys say he mistook the knife for a gun, prompting him to fire several shots into Irizarry’s car.
All charges against Dial were dropped in September 2023. Protests and civil unrest followed. All charges were reinstated a month later.
Then, last week, a judge found prosecutors did not give proper notice to defense attorneys of their plan to call an “expert” witness to testify. Under federal law, all expert testimony and evidence from both sides must be exchanged.
In response, prosecutors agreed to drop first-degree murder from the list of charges against Dial — a move that has been frustrating for Zoraida Garcia, Irizarry’s aunt.
“The family is very upset by the decision that they made. And I feel like we're not getting our justice,” Garcia said.
Ana Cintron, another aunt, says her family has stuck together after what she called an “emotional rollercoaster” of a year.
“We definitely did not expect this. I mean, we weren’t even informed,” said Cintron.
“We're trying to keep unity. We're trying to get answers. There's a lot of questions. No answers. At least, we haven't gotten any of them.”
A gag order is in place, so those involved with the case can’t speak on the matter.
“We're still trying to stay strong, we're trying to keep his memory alive,” said Cintron.
Dial still faces third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault. And his trial is scheduled to start in May of 2025. In the meantime, Dial has been released on bail.
“I'm still hurt. Family misses him like crazy,” said Garcia. “And after this ball drop of Mark Dial coming home, it's even more frustrating.”