Police in Philadelphia shot and killed a Black man as they were walking down a street on Monday afternoon. Police said the man was carrying a knife.
Pictures of shooting spread on television, showing two policemen carrying their rifles retreating as the man approached. The officers fired several shots, and the man fell to the ground. He died of his injuries at a nearby hospital, the The question said.
Adults identified the man as Walter Wallace Jr., 27, according to Associated Press.
Wallace’s father, Walter Wallace Sr., told the newspaper that his son had a mental illness. “Why didn’t he use the Taser?” the father asked. “Her mother was trying to alleviate the problem.”
Wallace had recently married, was a father, and “did not deserve what he had,” his family said in a statement, according to NBC Philadelphia.
“Walter was a good man who could do anything and anything for anyone,” said the family. “It doesn’t matter if they were lovers or what time they were dating all the time. And, she was married, just married to Dominique and had seven children plus one each day.”
The shooting sparked protests Monday night in Philadelphia, which escalated into violence and, according to police 30 offices injured.
Tuesday, Lt. Col. Keith Hickox confirmed to BuzzFeed News News that “several hundred members” of the Pennsylvania National Guard are being sent to the city in anticipation of more protests and riots.
Later that night, when the second night of the protest was in the city center, Wallace’s father pleaded with the protesters not to resort to violence in the name of their son.
“I hope people will respect my family and the city,” he told reporters. “I don’t have time to take over and destroy where I live. It’s unknown, and the people who are doing this, are not helping me and my family.”
Wallace’s relatives and the couple’s lawyer criticized the police’s actions at a press conference on Tuesday night, saying the couple had asked for help because of Wallace’s mental illness.
Wallace is taking Lithium, Shaka Johnson’s lawyer said, and even though the family asked for medical help it was the police who responded.
“The ambulance has not been called yet,” Johnson said. “[Officers] he had no training and no money to do the job properly, and thus, a man was killed. “
A spokesman for the city district called the shooting video “touching.”
Philadelphia District Judge Lawrence Krasner told a news conference that, according to a recent report from his office, his relatives had telephoned Wallace for medical attention.
Instead of receiving medical attention, Krasner said, the couple received “a response that was more police-like than an ambulance, as opposed to medical.”
“When I saw the high-profile video, I thought it was related,” he told reporters. “I have to agree with the chief of police and the mayor that he is raising some very difficult questions that need to be answered.”
Krasner said the district attorney’s office was still examining the evidence, including a video camera, of the shooting.
“It’s too early to recall what was on the minds of the police at the time of the shooting,” he said.
Governor of Philadelphia Jim Kenney he said in a statement that he was in contact with the boy’s family and that this would be investigated.
“My prayers are with Walter Wallace’s family and friends,” Kenney said. “I have watched a video of this incident and it presents some difficult questions that need to be answered.”
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw confirmed that there would be an investigation.
“I realize that the video of the incident raises a lot of questions,” said Outlaw. “Citizens are confident that those questions will be answered in full by this study.”
In his words, Councilor Jamie Gauthier called for camera images to take place.
“We have to admit that things did not work out that way,” Gauthier said. “The use of a firearm should be the last resort for every adult. Had these people used the methods of reducing the climb with non-lethal weapons instead of making a second decision to distribute their guns, the boy could have survived tonight.
“If the authorities had praised the life of this black man – they would have treated him as a madman, rather than a violent man – we could have escaped all our wrath at another party held by the police.”
Mr Krasner said he was hopeful that camera footage of the case would be released to increase public visibility.
Early Tuesday morning, a speeding car passed a police officer on duty at a protest rally. Philadelphia’s Fox TV station says the police are in the hospital with a broken leg.
Philadelphia, like many other cities across the country, was the place of major demonstrations this summer after killing George Floyd’s police in Minneapolis. Thousands of peace protesters He passed through downtown Philadelphia; some people set fire to police cars, vandalized shops, and clashed with police.
Between 100 and 200 protesters rallied after Wallace’s death Monday night, in an area where people were celebrating Floyd’s death. The interviewer also said.
Krasher said 91 people had been arrested by police during a protest rally on Monday night. Of those arrested, 27 cases have been investigated so far in connection with the second theft case.
Police told the prosecutor’s office that 11 cases of police rape would be kept, but the prosecutors had not received the case since Tuesday evening, he said.
Wallace’s assassination also prompted a second for President Joe Biden to respond, calling for another deadly black man shot dead by police.
“Our hearts are broken for the family of Walter Wallace Jr., and for all those who are suffering and hearing about another black life in America have lost,” Biden said in a statement. “We cannot accept that in this country madness ends in death.”
He further added that he strongly condemned the violence during the protests.
“There is no resentment because the real injustice in our country condones violence,” he said. “Attacking the police and destroying small businesses, which are already suffering during the epidemic, does not help the environment to get closer to justice.”
Wallace is survived by nine children, Johnson said, including their eldest son, Zamir, who spoke to reporters Tuesday night.
“We always went to places and we loved to play,” he said. “And the white apartheid police have my own father. And black life is nothing.”
