Ex-Philadelphia police officer sentenced to at least 8 years in shooting death of 12-year-old boy

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A fired Philadelphia police officer has been sentenced to at least eight years in prison in the shooting of a fleeing 12-year-old boy. Edsaul Mendoza said in court Monday that he felt sorrow and regret just before he was sentenced to 8 to 20 years. Mendoza pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in April in the shooting of Thomas “T.J.” Siderio in March 2022. Prosecutors said the 12-year-old boy was on the ground and unarmed when Mendoza fired the fatal shot. Police said the youth had first fired a shot at an unmarked police car, injuring one of four plainclothes officers inside.