Citywide curfew in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA: Pennsylvania’s largest city imposed a citywide curfew starting Wednesday at 9pm (local time) as the city seeks to quell the looting and violence that marred two nights of protests over the police killing of a black man who was under mental duress, the mayor’s office said.

The office of Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement the curfew would run through Thursday at 6am.

Tension has gripped the streets of Philadelphia since Tuesday’s deadly police shooting of Walter Wallace (27), who was armed with a knife and described by relatives as suffering from a mental breakdown, in a confrontation with law enforcement.

Hundreds of marchers demanded racial justice, some jeering and skirmishing with police through Tuesday night and into early Wednesday, as Philadelphia became the latest flashpoint in the US on issues of race and police use of force just days ahead of Tuesday’s presidential election. — Reuters

PHOTO: REUTERS Police officers detain a man for breaking curfew that was imposed after the death of Walter Wallace jun, a black man who was shot by police, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, yesterday.