Philadelphia braces for more unrest after police fatally shoot black man

More police as well as the National Guard are being deployed in Philadelphia as authorities say they fear another night of unrest after the fatal police shooting of a black man.

Officials say 30 officers were hurt in overnight clashes with protesters.

Police say officers opened fire on Walter Wallace, 27, when he ignored orders to drop a knife he was holding.

Mayor Jim Kenney said the video of Monday’s shooting “presents difficult questions that must be answered”.

The mayor did not elaborate, but said he was looking forward “to a speedy and transparent resolution for the sake of Mr Wallace, his family, the officers, and for Philadelphia”.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said she had visited the scene and heard and felt the anger of the community”.

An investigation into the incident is under way.

Large protests broke out in Philadelphia earlier this year following the police killing of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Footage showed white police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck, while he repeatedly said he was unable to breathe.

Floyd’s death sparked protests around the world against racism and police brutality.

What happened overnight?

Hundreds of people took to the streets to protest against the shooting of Wallace.

The protests, which continued into the early hours of Tuesday, turned violent at times.

Images from the scene showed a police vehicle set on fire. A number of businesses and shops were looted.

Most of the injured police officers were struck by objects such as bricks and other projectiles, authorities said.

One officer was in hospital with a broken leg and other injuries after being struck by a pickup truck.

More than a dozen people were arrested.

What do we know about the shooting?

Police said the shooting happened about 4pm (local time) on Monday, when two officers responded to a report of a man with a weapon in the neighbourhood of Cobbs Creek in West Philadelphia.

Police spokeswoman Tanya Little told AP news agency that a man, later identified as Wallace, was holding a knife when the officers approached, and instead of following orders to drop the weapon “advanced towards them”.

Both officers fired “several times”, hitting Wallace in the shoulder and chest.

One of the officers drove him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Little said.

Footage shared on social media shows two officers pointing their guns at Wallace as he walks towards them. The officers back away from him and shout at him to put the knife down.

Shots are then fired and Wallace is seen lying on the street.

Wallace’s father told the Philadelphia Inquirer that his son had mental health issues and was on medication.

“Why didn’t they use a taser?” he asked.

Meanwhile, Wallace’s family lawyer said that they had called for an ambulance – not police – to help deal with Walter Wallace’s mental issues.

Instead, two police officers arrived, lawyer Shaka Johnson was quoted as saying by the Inquirer. Wallace’s pregnant wife told them her husband had bipolar disorder and was in crisis.

Reacting to the shooting, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris said in a statement: “Our hearts are broken for the family of Walter Wallace Jr., and for all those suffering the emotional weight of learning about another Black life in America lost. We cannot accept that in this country a mental health crisis ends in death.”

– BBC