Four years after her son’s killing, a Philadelphia mother says she is still searching for answers and hoping those responsible will be brought to justice.
Carmen Cordova spoke exclusively with NBC10 about the death of her son, Wilfredo Diaz Cordova, who was fatally shot on Aug. 1, 2022, outside a home on the 3800 block of Fairhill Street.
“I forgive them. I want to tell ya’ll, I forgive ya’ll for killing my son, and I’m gonna take that in my heart. But you are going to pay for what you did to him,” Cordova said.
Video obtained by NBC10 shows Wilfredo Diaz Cordova standing outside the home before a black SUV pulls up and then gunfire erupts.
At one point, the gunman continues firing even after he falls to the ground.
Police said Diaz Cordova was struck multiple times.
His mother said she still remembers the conversation from when she learned her son had been killed.
“I said, ‘Is he OK? He was shot in the face, will he be recognized?’ She said, ‘No. The first bullet killed him instantly,'” Cordova said.
Diaz Cordova had celebrated his 32nd birthday just four days before he was killed. He left behind a daughter.
Despite years of searching for answers and providing information she believed could help investigators, Cordova said no one has ever been arrested in connection with her son’s killing.
“In four years I’ve only talked to the detectives twice,” Cordova said.
She also said she and others searched the area after the shooting.
“The cops wasn’t going to do nothing, and the detectives. We searched the area all day, and all night, until the next morning, and we found the car. It was a black Chrysler Aspen,” Cordova said.
According to statistics from the Philadelphia Police Department, 2022 was the deadliest year in the past decade in Philadelphia with 562 homicides.
For Cordova, however, her son is more than a statistic.
She said she wants detectives to continue working the case and hopes the people responsible are held accountable.
“For a grieving mother, Philadelphia detectives need to stand up and do they job to help these parents like me that are losing loved ones from gun violence,” Cordova said.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication.
