Family holds memorial year after man shot, killed by fmr. Philadelphia officer

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The family of 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry released balloons in his honor on Wednesday night at his final resting place in Philadelphia's Tacony section.

One year has passed since a Philadelphia police officer shot and killed Irizarry, who was sitting in his car during a traffic stop.

Police initially said Irizarry lunged at the officer outside the car but later said the officer's body-worn camera footage made it clear that hadn't happened.

A judge recently dropped the first-degree murder charge against former officer Mark Dial.

Dial will now be tried on a third-degree murder charge next year. He is also facing a civil lawsuit from Irizarry's family.

The decision comes after defense lawyers for Dial complained that prosecutors had not turned over an expert witness report they commissioned months ago and planned to use at trial.

The trial date was pushed back until May to give the defense time to respond to the expert report on Pennsylvania's use-of-force law.

Irizarry's family says they didn't even know that decision was coming.

"We weren't even informed. So it was just another, I'm gonna say another shot. You know, he took six and they just gave us six also. It's something really hard to swallow," a family member told Action News.