Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the site for recent riots as residents of the city come out to demand justice after the death of Walter Wallace.
The 27-year-old man was gunned down yesterday after police were called in to sort out a domestic abuse report in the Cob’s Creek neighborhood of West Philly. When entering the scene, the young man was enraged engaged in a shouting match with his mother, and allegedly proceeded to run towards armed police with a knife.
According to an NBC report, investigators said Wallace was armed with a knife when he approached the officers and ignored them when they told him to drop the weapon.
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Video from a witness showed Wallace walking toward the officers as a woman, identified as his mother, tried to restrain him. It’s unclear in the video however whether or not Wallace is holding a weapon.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw noted “I recognize that the video of the incidences leaves many questions. Residents have my assurance that those questions will be fully addressed by the investigation. While at the scene this evening I heard and felt the anger of the community. Everyone involved will be forever impacted.”
Meanwhile, since the video of Walter’s shooting went viral, the city of Philly is in unrest, with protesters taking to the streets. There are reports of looting, also setting fire to cars and dumpsters with several officers being hit by bricks as angry protesters clashed with authorities.
These recent protests and rioting come after a period of civil unrest in Philadelphia as well as other cities across the United States in reaction to the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.With police brutality becoming a major concern, the death of Walter Wallace has been termed as avoidable, with many in community noting it could have been handled differently.
Philadelphia has a long record of police brutality beginning in the 1870s. A police officer shot 26-year-old wrongfully accused of shoplifting, a minor offense.
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