Fatal Police Shooting Sparks Protest in Philadelphia
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Protesters gathered outside a Philadelphia police precinct Monday night hours after police shot and killed a man with a knife earlier in the afternoon. The victim was identified as 27-year old Walter Wallace Jr.
Police responded to a call about a man with a weapon around 2:45 p.m., according to CBS Philly.
"Responding officers witnessed a male on the block. Immediately they noticed he had a knife in his possession and he was brandishing it, and waiving it erratically," said Philadelphia Police Sergeant Eric Gripp.
Cell phone video of the shooting appears to show Wallace approaching two officers before they open fire. It is not clear from the video what happens immediately prior to the shooting because the camera tilts down and both Wallace and the officers are out of frame.
Several gunshots are heard, and when the camera tilts back up, Wallace is lying in the street. Gripp said both officers fired their weapons, but it wasn't immediately clear how many times or where Wallace was hit, CBS News reported.
"Upon being struck the male immediately dropped the knife and was scooped up by one of the discharging officers who took him into his police car, drove him over to Presbyterian Hospital where unfortunately he succumbed to his injuries," Gripp said.
One witness told CBS Philly that he and several others tried to get Wallace to drop the knife prior to the shooting.
Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement, "the Officer Involved Shooting Investigation Unit of PPD will conduct a full investigation. I look forward to a speedy and transparent resolution for the sake of Mr. Wallace, his family, the officers, and for Philadelphia."
Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a separate statement, "I recognize that the video of the incident raises many questions. Residents have my assurance that those questions will be fully addressed by the investigation."