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Philadelphia Police Killed Walter Wallace Jr. As He Suffered a Mental Health Crisis
When Walter Wallace Jr. was suffering from a mental health crisis brought on by bipolar disorder on Monday, his family called 911 for an ambulance and medical assistance.
Instead of an ambulance or EMTs, police officers responded three times, and the third time they fired on Wallace. He was taken to a hospital by police and pronounced dead.
Wallace had a knife in his hand, according to police, which officers say they told him to drop. Instead, he walked toward them, and the two responding officers fired. The shooting can be seen in this disturbing video.
“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?” Shaka Johnson, the attorney for the Wallace family, said, according to USA Today.
About 1,000 people protested the killing in Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has called in the National Guard to assist police in quelling the third night of protests.
“What it’s telling people is don’t call the cops. If you want your child to live, don’t even call the cops,” Wallace’s uncle, Rodney Everett, told Philadelphia’s WPVI TV news station.
