Scattered first reports mentioned a caravan of looters moving from one neighborhood to another: Center City, West Philadelphia, Port Richmond, and then on to the Roosevelt Mall in Northeast Philadelphia.
Last week's riots had a special trigger: the dismissal by a judge of all charges against Philadelphia police officer Mark Dial in the August 14 killing of Eddie Irizarry Jr., 27.
The first version, based on information from the Philadelphia Police Department, had Irizarry exiting his vehicle with a knife and lunging at Dial and another officer.
Two days later, outgoing Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw reported that body-camera footage revealed that Irizarry never "Exited the car" and was seated when Dial shot him.
The question arises: Why the initial false version, especially when every police action involving a shooting is scrutinized with surgical precision, amid lingering calls to "Defund the police"? The facts of the case were certainly enough for Judge Wendy Pew, who dismissed the charges, agreeing with defense attorneys that Dial possibly feared for his life, thinking that Irizarry had a gun when in fact he had a knife.
The AP reported that body-camera footage at Dial's preliminary hearing "Showed Irizarry holding a knife near his right leg as police approached the stopped vehicle."
Acting Commissioner Stanford said that Philadelphia residents had every right to be angry at what happened, even as those same residents criticized police for not taking proper precautions after Judge Pew's decision to dismiss charges against Dial.
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