Eddie Irizarry: Protests held Tuesday night as city leaders call for peace

PHILADELPHIA - Authorities in Philadelphia called for peace after charges were dropped against a police officer who fatally shot a man during a traffic stop last month.

Philadelphia Municipal Judge Wendy Pew made her ruling Tuesday after watching video of the fatal shooting of Eddie Irizarry. The defense asserted that Officer Mark Dial was acting in self-defense when he fired his weapon at close range through the rolled-up driver’s side window of Irizarry’s sedan during a vehicle stop on August 14. Defense attorney, Brian McMonagle, urged the judge to drop the charges which included manslaughter, official oppression and four other counts. 

The District Attorney's Office says they will appeal the judge's decision by the end of the day. Dial's bail was revoked earlier this month after prosecutors argued the charges made him ineligible for release.

The Party of Socialism & Liberation held an emergency mobilization protest and call for justice outside City Hall hours after the judge's ruling. A large crowd gathered in the rain to demand justice for Irizarry and rebuke the charges against former officer Mark Dial being dismissed.

"It could have been my son, it could have been any one of my family members and that's a part of the problem," Marc Postell said. "I can't go outside because there's violence, I can't get pulled over because I can't trust the cops, I'm just tired."

Sheriff Rochelle Bilal and Senator Sharif Street held a press conference a Tuesday to call for the public to remain calm as the legal process continues to play out. 

"All I'm saying today until the process is done to please remain calm, peaceful protest is what we do - it's in our DNA - and until the process is done, please remain calm so that we can move forward and make sure the process continues on," Sheriff Bilal said.

Democratic mayoral candidate Cherelle Parker on X, formerly known as Twitter, shared a series of posts about the controversial ruling. She said the shooting death of Irizarry "shocked my conscience and the consciousness of our city" and called for stronger police training to "create much stronger bonds between neighborhoods and police everywhere." 

"No family should be forced to endure the pain the Irizarry family is going through now. My hope is that justice prevails," Parker wrote.