Fatal police-involved shooting of Black man leads to violent protests in West Philly

A police-involved shooting that left a Black man dead on Monday afternoon resulted in violent protests and vandalism across West Philly into the early morning hours on Tuesday. 

The incident took place at around 4 p.m. on the 6100 block of Locust St. on Monday afternoon, according to the Inquirer.

The man, who was identified as 27-year-old Walter Wallace Jr., was armed with a knife at the scene. Wallace was ordered by police to drop the weapon, but he did not and advanced towards the cops.

The video of the incident can be seen below. Two police officers are pointing their guns at Wallace as he confronts them in the street. However, the video cuts away as the gunshots are fired. Please note that it contains graphic images and sounds.

Wallace was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he died shortly thereafter. His father, Walter Wallace Sr., told the Inquirer that he believed his son was shot 10 times by police.

Mayor Jim Kenney and Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw released statements in the wake of the shooting, saying that the matter is currently under investigation. 

Kenney and Outlaw will both meet with members of the local community and Wallace’s family in the wake of Monday’s incident.

“My prayers are with the family and friends of Walter Wallace,” Kenney said. “I have watched the video of this tragic incident and it presents difficult questions that must be answered. I spoke tonight with Mr. Wallace’s family, and will continue to reach out to hear their concerns first-hand, and to answer their questions to the extent that I am able.”

“I look forward to a speedy and transparent resolution for the sake of Mr. Wallace, his family, the officers, and for Philadelphia,” Kenney continued.

“I recognize that the video of the incident raises many questions,” Outlaw said. “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,” Outlaw continued. “Everyone involved will forever be impacted. I will be leaning on what the investigation gleans to answer the many unanswered questions that exist.”

District Attorney Larry Krasner urged anyone who witnessed the incident or has relevant information to the investigation to contact the District Attorney’s Office Special Investigations Unit hotline at 215–686–9608.

“The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office takes its obligation to try to be fair and to seek even-handed justice seriously,” Krasner said. “The DAO Special Investigations Unit responded to today’s fatal shooting of a civilian by police shortly after it occurred, and has been on scene with other DAO personnel since that time investigating, as we do jointly with the PPD Officer-Involved Shooting Investigation Unit, in shootings and fatalities by other means involving police. We intend to go where the facts and law lead us and to do so carefully, without rushing to judgment and without bias of any kind.”

“In the hours and days following this shooting, we ask Philadelphians to come together to uphold people’s freedom to express themselves peacefully and to reject violence of any kind,” Krasner continued.

However, protests that erupted in West Philly overnight turned violent, as hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets. 

The focus of the protests was near the 18th District police precinct on 55th and Pine streets, as well as at points along 52nd Street.

Protesters threw rocks and bottles at cops, vandalized a police SUV, broke windows, overturned and lit dumpsters on fire, and destroyed security cameras. Additionally, a cop car was set on fire, and a police officer had to be hospitalized after being run over by a truck.

Cops armed with riot gear, including shields and batons, attempted to disperse the crowd as the situation worsened. Police began blocking off streets to curtail the protests and regain control of the neighborhood.

Most demonstrators left the area by the early morning hours on Tuesday. The demonstrations resulted in more than 30 people being arrested and at least 30 police officers being injured, according to 6ABC.