A former Philadelphia police officer accused of fatally shooting a fleeing 12-year-old boy pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, authorities said Friday.

Edsaul Mendoza, 28, was charged with first- and third-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter for shooting Thomas “TJ” Siderio in March 2022.

The young man was killed after a chase in South Philadelphia. Police initially said Mendoza and three other plainclothes officers were investigating a post seen on social media about a teenager with a gun, when the boy shot at his car, wounding one of the officers.

However, the Philadelphia district attorney’s office later said that video evidence contradicted Mendoza’s version of events.

Mendoza was accused of chasing the boy on foot, shooting him twice and hitting him once in the back from what prosecutors described as “a relatively short distance.”

Mendoza, who had been with PPD for five years, was fired a week after the shooting for violating department policy. He was also arrested and charged with the child’s murder.

As part of a plea agreement with the prosecutor’s office, Mendoza also pleaded guilty to possession of an instrument of crime.

He could face up to 40 years in prison when he is sentenced on July 22.

“While this petition cannot bring TJ back, we hope it signals the closing of a painful chapter his family and the community have experienced,” the Philadelphia Police Oversight Commission said in a statement Friday night. .

The agency, whose mission is to monitor and investigate the conduct, policies and practices of the PPD, added that while the shooting occurred more than two years ago, “it is important to note that it has been two years of birthdays, holidays and memories without TJ.”

Earlier this year, the victim’s family sued Mendoza, alleging that his death was the result of “an abysmal systemic political failure” within the PPD.

With news cable services