Police officers in Philadelphia shot and killed a black man as he was walking towards them down the street on Monday afternoon. Police said the man was carrying a knife.
Screenshots from shooting It was circulated on social media, and it appears that two officers armed with their rifles are walking back as the man approaches them. Police shot several times, and the man collapsed to the ground. He died of his wounds in a nearby hospital I mentioned the inquirer.
The officials He identified the man as Walter Wallace Jr., 27, according to News agency.
Wallace’s father, Walter Wallace Sr., told the newspaper that his son had mental health problems. “Why didn’t they use Taser?” Father asked. His mother was trying to calm the situation. “
Wallace recently married, was a father, and “doesn’t deserve what happened,” his family said in a statement, according to NBC Philadelphia.
The family said, “Walter was a nice guy who would do anything and everything for anyone.” “No matter what the service was or at what time he would always come to him. He was a family man, he recently married Dominic and had seven children plus one child due on any given day.”
The shooting sparked Monday night’s protests in Philadelphia, which turned violent and, according to police, resulted in 30 officers were injured.
On Tuesday, Lt. Col. Keith Hecox confirmed to BuzzFeed News that “several hundred members” of the Pennsylvania National Guard are being deployed to the city in anticipation of further protests and civil unrest.
Later that night, as the second night of protests was underway in the city, Wallace’s father pleaded with the protesters not to turn violent in the name of his son.
“I hope people show my family and the city some kind of respect,” he told reporters. “I don’t have time to loot and destroy the place I live in. It is gratuitous, and the people who do, they are not helping me and they are not helping my family.”
Wallace’s relatives and a lawyer representing the family criticized the officers’ response during a news conference Tuesday night, saying the family sought help due to Wallace’s mental health.
Attorney Shaka Johnson said Wallace was taking lithium, and despite the family’s request for medical help, police officers responded.
“The ambulance never worked,” Johnson said. ”[Officers] He didn’t have the training and the expenses to do the job effectively, and as such, a man was killed. “
The city prosecutor described the video of the shooting as “disturbing.”
Philadelphia District Attorney Lawrence Krasner said at a press conference that according to the information his office has received so far, family members made a call to seek medical assistance in relation to Wallace.
Instead of medical assistance, Krasner said, the family received “a response that was from the police and not an ambulance, unlike the medical service.”
“When I saw the video, which was widely shared, I thought it was disturbing,” he told reporters. “I have to agree with both the Commissioner of Police and the mayor that he is asking some very serious questions that need answering.”
Krasner said the attorney general’s office is continuing to review evidence, including body camera video, regarding the shooting.
“It is too early for me to speculate on what the officers had on their minds the moment they fired the shots,” he said.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenny He said in a statement that he had been in contact with the young man’s family and that the accident would be subject to investigation.
Kenny said, “My connections are with Walter Wallace’s family and friends. I’ve watched the video of this tragic accident asking tough questions that must be answered.”
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Daniel Outlaw He confirmed that there would be an investigation.
“I understand that the video of the incident raises many questions,” Outlaw said in a statement. Residents assure that these questions will be fully addressed through the investigation. “
In the current situation, Board Member Jimmy Gautier He called for the release of body camera footage of the accident.
Gauthier said, “We must admit that things did not need to be this way. Resorting to service weapons should be a last resort for any officer. If these officers used de-escalation techniques and non-lethal weapons instead of deciding part of Second by firing their rifles, this young man may still live tonight.
“If these officers had valued this black man’s life – if they treated him as someone with mental health problems, rather than as a criminal – we would have spared our collective anger from yet another injustice at the hands of the police.”
Krasner said he hoped to share body camera footage from the incident to increase transparency with the public.
Early Tuesday morning, a speeding truck ran over a police officer on duty during the protests. Local Fox Television in Philadelphia reported that the officer is In hospital with a broken leg.
Philadelphia, like many other cities Across the country, Was the pioneer site Protests This summer after Police kill George Floyd In Minneapolis. Thousands of peaceful protesters They walked downtown Philadelphia; Some people burned police vehicles, looted shops and clashed with the police.
Between 100 and 200 protesters gathered after Wallace’s death Monday night, in a neighborhood where people demonstrated to protest Floyd’s death, I mentioned the inquirer.
Krascher said police arrested 91 people during the protests on Monday night. Of these, 27 cases have so far been reviewed in relation to second-degree burglary charges.
The police informed the public prosecutor’s office that 11 cases would be filed related to the suspected assault on a police officer, but the plaintiffs did not receive those cases until Tuesday evening, he said.
Wallace’s killing also prompted former Vice President Joe Biden to respond, describing the shooting as another traumatic accident of a black man who had been killed by police.
“Our hearts are broken for the Walter Wallace Jr family, and for all of those who have lost the emotional weight of learning about another black life in America,” Biden said in a statement. “We cannot accept that the mental health crisis in this country will end in death.”
He also said that he criticized the violence that erupted during the protests.
“There is no amount of anger at real injustice in our society that justifies violence,” he said. “Attacking police officers and sabotaging small businesses, which are already struggling during the pandemic, does not bend the moral arc of being closer to justice.”
Johnson said Wallace left behind nine children, including his older son Zamir, who spoke to reporters Tuesday evening.
“We always went to places and we always played,” he said. “And white racist policemen have my father. Black lives still matter.”
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