Philadelphia police shooting of Black man sparks unrest
Family says cops were called to help deal with mental health crisis
PHILADELPHIA— The family of a Black man killed when Philadelphia police officers fired a dozen rounds in a shooting caught on video had called for an ambulance to get him help with a mental health crisis, not for police intervention, their lawyer said Tuesday.
Police said Walter Wallace Jr., 27, was wielding a knife and ignored orders to drop the weapon before officers fired shots Monday afternoon. But his parents said Tuesday night that officers knew their son was in a mental health crisis because they had been to the family’s house three times on Monday.
Catherine Wallace, his mother, said one of the times, “they stood there and laughed at us.”
The Wallace family’s attorney,
Shaka Johnson, said the man’s wife, Dominique Wallace, is pregnant and is scheduled to have labour induced Wednesday. Two of Wallace’s nine children briefly spoke at a news conference late Tuesday, along with Walter Wallace’s mother and father.
“When you come to a scene where somebody is in a mental crisis, and the only tool you have to deal with it is a gun … where are the proper tools for the job?” Johnson said, arguing that Philadelphia police officers are not properly trained to handle mental health crises.
Johnson said Wallace’s brother had called 911to request medical assistance and an ambulance.
About 500 people had gathered at a West Philadelphia park Tuesday night and began marching through the neighbourhood, chanting and demanding the names of the officers who opened fire. There were sporadic reports of arrests in other areas of the city Tuesday night around 9 p.m., as well as video of people streaming into stores and stealing goods as they left.
Philadelphia officials anticipated a second night of unrest Tuesday, after Philadelphia police arrested more than 90 people during protests that began Monday and spread into the early hours of Tuesday. Police were stationing extra officers on business corridors in west Philadelphia and elsewhere in preparation.
A Pennsylvania National Guard spokesperson told the Philadelphia Inquirer Tuesday several hundred guardsmen were expected to arrive in the city within 24 to 48 hours.
Police had previously said 30 officers were injured in Monday’s unrest, most of them hit with thrown objects, like bricks. One officer was still hospitalized Tuesday with a broken leg after being purposely run over by a pickup truck, police said.