Philadelphia police

Philly police officer shoots, kills man armed with knives, officials say

Family members identified the man who was killed as Eddie Jose Irizarry

NBC Universal, Inc.

Editors note: On Tuesday at 7:47 p.m. NBC10 received information from the police that stated new evidence showed that the man accused of lunging at officers was seated inside a car at the time of the shooting. This article has been updated to reflect this new information.

This story is no longer being updated. For details on the investigation revealed by police Wednesday, click here.

A traffic stop turned deadly Monday afternoon as a Philadelphia police officer shot and killed a man that, investigators said, was armed with knives.

SkyForce10 was over East Willard Street, near A Street, in the Kensington neighborhood midday as several police investigators could be seen focused on a gold sedan inside a taped off area. A bullet hole could be seen in one of the car's windows.

Léelo en español aquí.

The incident began several blocks away around 12:30 p.m. when 24th District Police officers tried to pull over someone driving erratically near B Street and Erie Avenue, Philadelphia Police Cpl. Jasmine Reilly told gathered reporters.

The driver -- identified by family members as 27-year-old Eddie Jose Irizarry -- then took off southbound along Lee Street before turning left the wrong way onto Willard Street, Reilly said.

Local

Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.

Woman killed in crash in Philadelphia

Person hurt in abandoned school fire in Camden, NJ

The car then stopped and parked on Willard Street. The officers got out of their marked vehicle and approached the sedan, police said.

One officer tried to open the passenger side door and was warned by the other officer that the driver of the sedan had a weapon, according to police.

One of the officers then fired several times into the car, hitting Irizarry. Officers then put Irizarry in his patrol vehicle and rushed him to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead minutes later, Reilly said.

None of the officers involved were physically injured, Reilly said.

The incident was captured on both of the officers' Body Worn Cameras.

The officer who fired his gun will be placed on administrative leave pending an internal affairs investigation, police said.

Two knives were visible inside the car, and it was taken to a police garage as part of the investigation.

A photo of Eddie Jose Irizarry.
A photo of Eddie Jose Irizarry.

As the investigation continued, NBC10's Miguel Martinez-Valle spoke with the Irizarry's family. They said his primary language was Spanish and that he didn't understand or speak English well. They also said he had a mental health illness.

While the family acknowledged that he carried around a small pocket knife, they don't believe police should have killed him.

The family of a Puerto Rican man, who recently moved to the area and who was fatally shot by a police officer at a traffic stop, claims he could not understand English proficiently and had a mental illness. NBC10's Miguel Martinez-Valle spoke with the family.

"You could taze him," the man's aunt, Zoraida Garcia, said. "But to shoot him six times? They literally told us he got shot six times. What did he have on him that you felt threatened? You know? Was he coming towards you with a knife? You know? If that's the case, but six times? You could've shot him in his leg. But you shot and killed him."

There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.

Contact Us