Protest erupts after Philly man shot
Police in Philadelphia said 30 officers were injured during violent protests Monday night that broke out after police shot and killed a 27-year-old Black man who authorities said had a knife.
More than 300 people marched through the streets of Philadelphia late Monday into early Tuesday to protest the shooting of Walter Wallace Jr., which was captured on video. Dozens of officers were injured with rocks, bricks and other projectiles, and a 56-year-old female officer was hit by a pickup truck and hospitalized with a broken leg, WCAU-TV reported.
A police car was set on fire, and officers used batons to push crowds back, according to video on social media. The crowd then mostly dispersed.
Several businesses were looted, and more than 30 people were arrested, KYW-TV reported.
The protest comes after months of demonstrations against police violence and racial injustice in the city and across the country that broke out in May when George Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white officer in Minneapolis.
The shooting occurred before 4 p.m. Monday as officers responded to a report of a person with a weapon, police spokeswoman Tanya Little said.
Officers were called to Cobbs Creek, a predominantly Black neighborhood in west Philadelphia. They encountered the man, later identified as Wallace, holding a knife, Little said. Officers ordered Wallace to drop the knife, but he “advanced towards” them. Both officers then fired “several times,” Little said.
Wallace was hit in the shoulder and chest. One of the officers then put him in a police vehicle and drove him to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, Little said.
No officers or bystanders were injured in the confrontation, Little said. The names of the officers who fired the shots were not disclosed, and their races weren’t confirmed.
Both were wearing body cameras and were taken off street duty pending the investigation.
Video of the shooting was taken by a bystander and shared on social media by civil rights attorney Ben Crump. The footage shows two officers pointing their guns at Wallace and yelling at him to put his knife down.
As Wallace walks around the street toward the officers, they back away from him and continue to aim their weapons at him. Both officers fire multiple shots, and Wallace falls to the ground.
Wallace’s father, Walter Wallace Sr., told the Philadelphia Inquirer that his son was on medication and struggled with mental health issues.
“Why didn’t they use a taser?” he said.
Police commissioner Danielle M. Outlaw said that she has ordered an investigation and that it will fully address questions raised by the video. She said she plans to speak with Wallace’s family.
“While at the scene this evening, I heard and felt the anger of the community,” she said in a statement. “Everyone involved will forever be impacted.”
District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement his office will conduct a joint investigation of the shooting. He urged witnesses to contact his office.