Philadelphia Officer Mark Dial’s role in Eddie Irizarry’s fatal shot has prompted the Citizens Police Oversight Commission to call for his termination. 

The oversight commission recommended that the Philadelphia Police Department fire Officer Dial in a statement issued on Tuesday, following a careful examination of all the material at hand.

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The commission’s statement also emphasized how many questions and concerns the community had regarding the fatal shooting. It also highlighted the specific grief brought about by the inaccurate facts about the incident that the Philadelphia Police Department initially conveyed.

Who is Officer Mark Dial?

Mark Dial is a Philadelphia police officer. The three law enforcement sources who are aware of the ongoing investigation have identified Dial as the Philadelphia Police officer who fatally shot Eddie Irizarry, 27, in North Philadelphia this week. Officer Dial has been a member of the police force for five years.

Officer Mark Dial and an unnamed partner were on patrol in the 24th Police District on Monday at around 12:30 p.m. Detectives said they discovered Eddie Irizarry “driving erratically” in the area of B and Westmoreland Streets in North Philadelphia.

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Following Irizarry for a few blocks in their marked police car, Dial and his partner retaliated by pursuing his gold Toyota Corolla. Reportedly, Irizarry parked his car in the 100 block of East Willard Street after driving in the wrong direction, which intensified the altercation.

The officers then parked their cruiser and got out of it. Approaching the front passenger side of Irizarry’s vehicle, Officer Dial’s partner—who was purportedly operating the cruiser—attempted to open the passenger-side door. According to the police account, Officer Dial approached Irizarry simultaneously from the front driver’s side.

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In this exchange, Officer Dial’s colleague yelled that Irizarry “had a weapon.” Officer Dial retaliated by firing several shots into the vehicle, hitting Irizarry several times while he was still sitting in the front seat.