Knife-wielding Walter Wallace Jr. who was shot by Philadelphia police, had violent criminal past

RT
Thu, 29 Oct 2020 15:37 UTC

© Action News on 6abc

Walter Wallace Jr., 27, was wielding a knife and ignored orders to drop the weapon before officers fired shots Monday afternoon.

The black man shot and killed by Philadelphia police on Monday, Walter Wallace Jr., had a long criminal record that included violent offenses, local media have reported. Wallace's death has led to riots in the city.

The 27-year-old was fatally shot by officers after he reportedly ignored commands to drop a knife that he was holding. The incident sparked large protests in Philadelphia, which quickly descended into rioting and looting. Sympathetic media reports have portrayed Wallace as a husband, father and aspiring musician who struggled to overcome mental health issues, but court documents obtained by news outlets reveal he had numerous run-ins with the law.

In 2017, Wallace pled guilty to robbery and assault after kicking down the door of a woman and putting a gun to her head, Fox News reported. Four years earlier, he pled guilty to assault and resisting arrest after punching a police officer in the face.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, police had responded to dozens of calls in recent months that involved disturbances at Wallace's home, and they had even visited the address twice on Monday before returning again for the third time, which led to the fatal incident. His family claims that the third call to emergency services that day was for an ambulance to help Wallace with a psychotic episode, but that the police arrived instead.

Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said on Tuesday that it was not clear if the two officers who shot Wallace were aware of his condition or criminal background.

A relative previously told Fox News that Wallace had struggled with mental health issues and was bipolar. He was at one stage ordered by a judge to undergo psychiatric evaluation treatment, the news station reported.

Family members have stated that Wallace was bipolar. A local ABC affiliate reported that Wallace had been ordered by a judge to undergo a psychiatric evaluation in 2013.

His family's attorney, Shaka Johnson, said that Wallace was taking lithium, and suggested that the officers who arrived at the scene should have been properly trained to deal with his condition.

The shooting led to mayhem in the streets of Philadelphia, prompting Governor Tom Wolf to mobilize the National Guard in a bid to restore order and stop further vandalism and looting. Police forces across the United States have been accused of carrying out racially motivated shootings and other acts of violence, following the death of a black man, George Floyd, at the hands of Minneapolis police in May. His killing sparked riots that spread across the country, with many parts of the country still seeing Black Lives Matter demonstrations on a regular or even nightly basis.

Comment: The violent mob response to the Wallace shooting has resulted in a curfew to be imposed on Philly residents:

The curfew is being put in place after violent protests spun out of control on Monday and Tuesday following the death of Walter Wallace Jr., whom police shot after he refused to drop his knife during an altercation on Monday afternoon. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf ordered several hundred members of the state National Guard to deploy to Philadelphia to help quell the unrest.

At least 53 police have been injured in the clashes, many of whom were struck by bricks and rocks, according to local CBS reporter Joe Holden. One officer was run over by a large pickup, and 28 police or fire department vehicles were torched or otherwise damaged.

Nine ATMs were blown up overnight Tuesday alone, which is something of a tradition during Philadelphia riots. About 50 ATMs around the city were bombed during Black Lives Matter protests in early June, and in one of those cases, the would-be thief was killed in the explosion.

Police discovered evidence of more than just a spontaneous uprising:

A bomb squad has been called to investigate a suspicious van loaded with propane tanks, flares and "possible dynamite sticks," local media report, as authorities struggle to contain unrest and looting across Philadelphia.

The abandoned vehicle was discovered around 10pm local time, roughly an hour after a citywide curfew kicked in on Wednesday night.

Police cordoned off the area while ATF agents and a bomb squad recovered multiple "propane tanks, torches and possible dynamite sticks,"according to 6abc Action News.

As if there wasn't already enough racist tension in Philadelphia, a group of protesters chased away Jewish men from an anti-police rally:

Footage making the rounds on social media on Wednesday shows a small group of demonstrators confronting the three young men, who are seen wearing kippah caps, asking them where they live before demanding they "get the f**k out!"

"What y'all doing down here? Y'all live here? You know we the real Jews, right?" one is heard saying, as another adds "This ain't your fight. Y'all gotta go."

One of the men responds that they are "just showing solidarity," but is shouted down. Another member of the trio is given a hard shove moments later while the instigators insist the men leave, which they ultimately agreed to do. As a parting shot, a protester says "Revelation 2:9, Synagogue of Satan," apparently citing a bible verse.

The biblical reference and other remarks heard in the exchange are common to the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, which posits that African Americans are the true descendants of the ancient Israelites but is widely regarded as anti-Semitic. The group has a presence in Philadelphia, occasionally seen street preaching in the city.

With five days to go to the election, Democratic candidate Joe Biden surfaced to comment in a pathetic attempt to appear relevant:

The former vice president, speaking with reporters after he and his wife Jill Biden cast their ballots in early voting in their home town of Wilmington, Del., emphasized that "there is no excuse whatsoever for the looting and the violence. None whatsoever."

Biden stressed that "to be able to protest is totally legitimate, totally reasonable."

Biden highlighted that moving forward, the questions of "how you diminish the prospect of lethal shooting and circumstances like the one we saw" will have to be answered.

And he said that if elected president, "that's going to be part of the commission I set up to determine how we deal these changes."

The Trump administration says it "stands proudly with law enforcement." And in a statement, the White House charged that "the riots in Philadelphia are the most recent consequence of the Liberal Democrats' war against the police."