PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The 27-year-old driver fatally shot by a Philadelphia police officer during a traffic stop on Monday was seated inside his car, contradicting an initial report that said he was standing and lunged at officers with a knife.
Police sent out a release Tuesday night updating the narrative about the death of Eddie Jose Irizarry.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said she wanted to be as transparent as possible and inform the public about these radical changes to the story, which were confirmed by viewing body cam footage.
Outlaw said Irizarry had been driving erratically and was pulled over by police around 12:30 p.m. Monday after he had driven the wrong way down a one-way street in Fairhill.
Two officers from the 24th District were in uniform and in a marked car. There is no indication of whether they had their lights or sirens on. Outlaw said the two officers approached Irizarry’s parked car, and the officer on the passenger’s side told the officer approaching from the driver’s side that there were two knives in the car — a kitchen knife and a serrated knife.
As Irizarry turned toward the driver’s side window, the officer on that side fired his gun. The officers immediately took the man to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police officials did not specify why the initial reports from police leadership were incorrect, only that footage revealed the accurate nature of the event.
Officials have spoken to several of Irizarry’s family members through an interpreter, as some do not speak English.
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Shortly after the fatal shooting Monday, relatives cast doubt on the initial story from police, telling reporters that Irizarry was schizophrenic and unable to speak English.
Investigators have not yet spoken to the officer who shot Irizarry, saying officers get 72 hours to secure legal representation before being interviewed. It is unknown whether the body cam footage will be released to the public. That decision would be made by District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office.
Pressed by reporters about why the story changed, Outlaw said she shared in the frustration.
“The question is, how do we re-establish the trust? Sometimes I feel like we take 20 steps forward, and it just takes one incident to take 50 steps backward,” she said. “I am hoping that our efforts in being transparent is at least a first step in that.
“I understand the reticence. I understand folks not really being sure about what we said today because of what we said initially, but I am hoping that they see this as a genuine effort to do everything we can to share what we know when we have it, as we receive it.”
A vigil is scheduled on Willard Street, where the shooting occurred, for 6 p.m. Wednesday night.
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