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Three Teens Arraigned in Officer Death

SCRANTON — Three teenagers are now charged with the murder of a Scranton police officer. Patrolman John Wilding died last month after chasing the robbery ...

SCRANTON -- Three teenagers are now charged with the murder of a Scranton police officer.

Patrolman John Wilding died last month after chasing the robbery suspects.

A memorial has grown outside Scranton Police headquarters since Patrolman Wilding's death on July 12. He and other officers were chasing three robbery suspects when he was injured and later died.

On Thursday, we learned more about how that injury occurred as the three robbery suspects were charged with second degree murder.

At a news conference, Lackawanna County prosecutors and state police said if a robbery had not occurred in west Scranton on July 11, Scranton Police Patrolman John Wilding would still be alive.

"This tragic episode was set in motion when these three men decided that they were going to commit and armed robbery over on the west side of Scranton," said Lackawanna County District Attorney Andrew Jarbola.

With Scranton's police chief standing next to him, Lackawanna County District Attorney Andrew Jarbola announced the robbery suspects would be arraigned on two different counts of murder; one for the death of an on-duty police officer, the other is second degree murder.

"Officer Wilding's handcuffs will be placed on at least one of the suspects today and our officers will be there to formally do it," said Scranton Police Chief Carl Graziano.

The three 17 year olds were brought back to west Scranton to be arraigned on those charges, Nasiir Jones in front.

"I didn't have anything to do with that. I never seen the officer. Like I said, my heart goes out to his family," Jones said.

Tanner Curtis apologized, too.

When asked if he wished if he could change what happened, Isiah Edwards nodded.

According to court papers, following the robbery and chase, one officer cornered Edwards who was hiding in this enclosure behind a building.

Investigators say when Wilding approached to help the other officer, he saw the other officer standing and would have seen him from his waist up., and could have assumed when he jumped over this wall, that he would have landed on his feet.

Patrolman Wilding fell about 15 feet and died the next day from a head injury.

Prosecutors charged the three teens with second degree murder because Wilding was killed as a result of the alleged felony robbery.

Jones, Curtis, and Edwards are charged as adults.

"They are contending that the three young men should be back in juvenile court. We strongly disagree with that," the district attorney said.

Prosecutors told us that an investigation needs to be done before it can be decided if the three young men will be tried in adult court or juvenile court. It will be a few months until a judge ultimately makes that decision.

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