At least 30 law enforcement officers have been injured after violent clashes betweendemonstrators and law enforcement officers following the shooting death of a Black man by police on Monday in Philadelphia, US.
The violent clashes started on Monday night up to the early hours of Tuesday morning October 27, as hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Philadelphia just hours after police shot and killed a 27-year-old Black man, who has since been identified by family as Walter Wallace Jr.
According to Walter Wallace Jr’s family he had mental issues. He was was a twin, a father to his kids, and son to his father.
Video footage showed his mother begging police not to shoot and he was at least 10ft away before he was shot ten times by police.
Just before 4 p.m on Monday, police came to the Cobbs Creek neighborhood, where they encountered Wallace, who they said was armed with a knife at the time.
Police spokesperson Tanya Little said they ordered Wallace to drop his weapon, but he instead “advanced towards” them.
Both officers opened fire, striking him in the shoulder and chest. He was rushed to a nearby hospital for care, but was pronounced dead a short time later.
A video of the deadly confrontation shared on social media shows officers pointing their guns at Wallace as he walks in the street and around a car. He then approaches the officers as they back away from him with their guns still aimed in his direction.
Police can be heard yelling at him to put his knife down before firing off several shots.
The clashes in Philadelphia as a result of Wallace’s death involved lots of looting and vandalism. Dumpsters and at least one police car were set ablaze in wake of the shooting as officers, many of them armed with batons, struggled to calm and contain the huge crowds.
Some demonstrators cried and shouted at officers while others hurled bricks.
A 56-year-old female sergeant was hit by a black pickup truck belonging to one of the protesters, NBC Philadelphia reported. She was hospitalized with a broken leg and is expected to recover.
Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw speaking at the crime scene said;
“I heard and felt the anger of the community,” Outlaw said in a statement, adding that the video “raises many questions” and that “those questions will be fully addressed by the investigation.”
The names of the officers who shot Wallace were not immediately released by the police butdepartment but both officers wore body cameras.
Watch the video of the shooting below.
Philadelphia cops fatally shot Walter Wallace Jr. today, firing 10+ times at him while he stood at least 10ft away. He allegedly had a knife but cops made NO attempts at de-escalating the situation in this video. They went straight to killing Wallace in front of his loved ones! pic.twitter.com/U2zYGqK7Ag
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) October 27, 2020
#US: Police in Philadelphia have escalated the protests decrying the police killing of Walter Wallace Jr shot 10+ times. In this scene, you can see police beating unarmed protestors with batons. #BlackLivesMatter #EndImpunity (📹@xxxtarynxx) pic.twitter.com/ytsDRg7Sqj
— Anonymous (@YourAnonCentral) October 27, 2020
Rioting and looting have kicked off in #Philadelphia following the fatal police shooting of #WalterWallaceJr. pic.twitter.com/SKelc7fH9M
— It’s Going Down (@IGD_News) October
