(RepublicanInformer.com)- Violent and destructive riots continued for yet another night in the city of Philadelphia on Tuesday. The unrest in the city followed the police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr., a black man who was apparently experiencing a mental issue and had a knife in his hand.
The 27-year-old man was shot and skilled on Monday. The incident, which was caught on video, shows Wallace walking in the direction of police officers. The city’s police department said Wallace had a knife in his hand and ignored officer orders to drop the weapon.
Video of the incident shows Wallace’s mother trying to restrain him as he moved toward the officers. The camera panned down at this point, and then several gunshots were heard as police started to shoot. Wallace is then seen lying on the ground still, while his mother runs toward him screaming.
Following the incident, rioters in the city on Monday injured as many as 30 police officers. On the first night of the riots, 76 people were arrested for committing burglary, and three of them did so with guns. In addition, 11 people were arrested for assault on a police officer, and three people were arrested for failure to disperse.
About 500 people gathered for a peaceful protest at a park in West Philadelphia on Tuesday night. But that night, looters ransacked businesses throughout the Port Richmond section of the city. A 6abc Philadelphia report said businesses that were targeted were Dollar General, Target, Burlington, and Foot Locker.
Also Tuesday night, at least two officers had to be sent to the hospital after sustaining injuries due to rocks being thrown at them.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf sent in the Pennsylvania National Guard Tuesday. The guard said it was sending several hundred of its members “in support of the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management and assist Philadelphia police in protecting life, property and the right to peacefully assemble and protest.”
On Monday, family members said they knew Wallace was struggling through a mental health issue because they were called to his house three times. Shaka Johnson, the attorney for the Wallace family, said Wallace’s brother called 911 for medical assistance and an ambulance. Instead, police officers arrived at the home, and the attorney said they’re not trained to properly handle mental health issues.
As Johnson said:
“When you come to a scene where somebody is in a mental crisis, and the only tool you have to deal with it is a gun … where are the proper tools for the job?”
Both officers, who were wearing body cameras during the incident, were removed from street duty while an investigation is undergoing. Danielle Outlaw, the city’s police commissioner, said the department would release the two officers’ names as long as a threat assessment revealed that the officers’ safety wouldn’t be at risk from doing so.
Outlaw also said it’s unclear at this time what the responding officers knew about Wallace. Wallace was awaiting trial for charges that include threatening to shoot a woman and her house.
In 2013, he was ordered by a judge to undergo psychiatric evaluation and treatment. That year, he also pled guilty to assault and resisting arrest in connection with punching a police officer in the face.
