Riots following police shooting of bipolar black man spread to Portland and New York

ANGER at the police shooting of a black man in Philadelphia on Monday saw protests spread to Portland, Oregon, and New York City.

The National Guard was brought in to restore order in Philadelphia, which faced a second night of rioting and looting as hundreds demonstrated over the death of 27-year-old Walter Wallace.

Businesses were ransacked as authorities urged locals to stay indoors. Police, under a barrage of missiles, used pepper spray and batons to disperse the crowd. At least 30 officers were injured and more than 90 people were arrested.

Mr Wallace, who had bipolar disorder, was the latest African-american to die at the hands of the police. He was shot after ignoring instructions to drop a knife he was wielding.

His family said he had been undergoing a mental health crisis and that they had called for an ambulance and not the police. His father, Walter Wallace Sr, said: “Why didn’t they use a Taser? His mother was trying to defuse the situation. He has mental issues. Why you have to gun him down?”

But he also pleaded with the rioters to stop. “It will leave a bad scar on my son, with all this looting and chaos,” he said. “This is where we live, and it’s the only community resource we have, and if we take all the resource and burn it down, we don’t have anything.” Jim Kenney, Philadelphia’s mayor, promised a full investigation. “I have watched the video of this tragic incident and it presents difficult questions,” he said.

In a joint statement, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris expressed their “shock and grief ” at the death. “We cannot accept that in this country a mental health crisis ends in death,” they said.

But Donald Trump, speaking in Wisconsin on Tuesday, tried to blame Mr Biden’s supporters for the mayhem. “Last night Philadelphia was torn up by Biden-supporting radicals,” he said. “Thirty officers were injured, some badly. Biden stands with the rioters, and I stand with the heroes of law enforcement.”