A former Philadelphia police officer who fatally shot a motorist during a traffic stop has been sentenced to 9½ months in jail and immediately paroled, sparking outrage from the city's district attorney and the victim's family. Judge Glenn Bronson handed down the sentence on Thursday, granting parole because Mark Dial had already served 10 months in custody following his arrest in 2023.
Dial, 29, was acquitted of murder in May but convicted of voluntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and possessing an instrument of crime in the death of 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry. The shooting occurred after officers spotted Irizarry driving erratically and followed him before he turned the wrong way down a one-way street and stopped.
District Attorney Larry Krasner criticised the sentence as “way below” sentencing guidelines, which recommended 4½ to nine years in prison. He expressed deep disappointment, saying the verdict could make people lose faith in the criminal justice system. Irizarry's aunt, Zoraida Garcia, said, “If I would have committed the crime, I would have been doing life in prison. But he’s a cop, so he gets the OK.”
Judge Bronson noted that the shooting was not “a classic voluntary manslaughter case,” describing Dial's conduct as “demonstrably out of character” and stating that Dial was not a threat to the public. He also highlighted that Dial rushed Irizarry to hospital after the shooting. Dial's lawyer, Brian McMonagle, praised the judge for doing the right thing for a “dedicated public servant.”
Dial's legal team has maintained that the shooting was justified, claiming Dial believed Irizarry had a gun. Police body camera footage shows Dial firing six times through the driver's side window, with Irizarry holding a seven-inch knife. Another officer is heard yelling “knife,” though Dial's attorneys dispute this, asserting the officer yelled “Gun!” and that the knife resembled a firearm.
