At least 30 cops injured amid protests in Philadelphia after police fatally shoot knife-wielding Black man
Jessica Schladebeck
Outrage sparked by the shooting death of a Black man by police on Monday ripped across Philadelphia overnight amid protests that saw looting, vandalism and violent clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement officers.
At least 30 police officers were injured late Monday into early Tuesday, including a 56-year-old sergeant who was clipped by a black pickup truck, NBC Philadelphia reported. She was hospitalized with a broken leg and is expected to recover.
The incident was broadcast on a social media livestream around 12:50 a.m.
“Oh my god. He hit a cop,” one bystander can be heard saying in the video.
Police told the Philadelphia Inquirer they stopped a vehicle nearby a short time later that they believe was involved in the incident.
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in the City of Brotherly Love just hours after police shot and killed a 27-year-old Black man, who has since been identified by family as Walter Wallace Jr.
Officers responded just before 4 p.m. 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 authorities 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.
Bystander 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.
They can be heard yelling at him to put his knife down before firing off several shots.
It’s not clear whether Wallace is armed in the video, though witnesses said he did have a weapon on him at the time of his death.
Protesters face off with police during a demonstration on Oct. 27, 2020, in Philadelphia. Hundreds of demonstrators marched in West Philadelphia for a second night following the death of Walter Wallace Jr., a Black man who was killed by police in Philadelphia on Monday.
A demonstrator raises a fist near Philadelphia police on Oct. 27, 2020.
A police officer goes down attempting to tackle a demonstrator during protests on Oct. 27, 2020 in Philadelphia, the day after Walter Wallace Jr. was fatally shot by police.
A man is detained by Philadelphia police on Oct. 27, 2020.
A Philadelphia police officer is covered with an unidentified red substance during a confrontation with protesters on Oct. 27, 2020.
A fire burns during demonstrations in West Philadelphia on Oct. 27, 2020.
A neighbor gathers at a memorial outside Walter Wallace Jr.'s home in Philadelphia, Pa. on Oct. 27, 2020.
Family and friends shout "Black Lives Matter" outside Walter Wallace Jr.'s home in Philadelphia, Pa. on Oct. 27, 2020.
Family and friends gather outside Walter Wallace Jr.'s home in Philadelphia, Pa. on Oct. 27, 2020.
Police stand by as demonstrators march in West Philadelphia on Oct. 27, 2020.
Protesters march during a demonstration on Oct. 27, 2020, in Philadelphia.
Police officers move in formation during a protest in response to the police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. on Oct. 26, 2020 in Philadelphia. Police officers fatally shot the 27-year-old Black man during a confrontation Monday afternoon in West Philadelphia that quickly raised tensions in the neighborhood.
A police car burns during a protest in response to the police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. on Oct. 26, 2020, in Philadelphia.
Police activity occurs near the scene of the police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. in Philadelphia on Oct. 26, 2020.
People stand near the scene of the police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. in Philadelphia on Oct. 26, 2020.
Sharif Proctor lifts his hands up in front of the police line during a protest in response to the police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. on Oct. 26, 2020, in Philadelphia.
Neighbors and family of Walter Wallace Jr. pray following his shooting by the police on Oct. 26, 2020, in Philadelphia.
Walter Wallace Sr., the father of Walter Wallace Jr. talks about the shooting of his son in Philadelphia, Pa. on Oct. 26. 2020.
Police officers, left, maintain a presence as people gather in protest in response to the police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. on Oct. 26, 2020, in Philadelphia.
People gather in protest in response to the police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. on Oct. 26, 2020, in Philadelphia.
People gather in protest in response to the police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. on Oct. 26, 2020, in Philadelphia.
Fireworks explode in the sky during a protest in response to the police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. during the early morning hours of Oct. 27, 2020, in Philadelphia.
Dumpsters and at least one cop car were set ablaze in the 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 and similar objects.
Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw spoke with several people on the scene and vowed a thorough investigation into the shooting.
“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. Both were wearing body cameras and were taken off street duty pending the investigation.
