Philadelphia police said 30 officers were injured during violent protests Monday night that broke out after police shot and killed a 27-year-old Black man who authorities said had a knife, reports USA Today. More than 300 people marched through the streets into early Tuesday to protest the shooting of Walter Wallace, Jr., which was captured on video. Dozens of officers were injured with rocks, bricks and other projectiles and a 56-year-old female officer was hit by a pickup truck and hospitalized with a broken leg. A police car was set on fire and officers used batons to push crowds back, according to video shared on social media.
The shooting occurred about 4 p.m. Monday as officers responded to a report of a person with a weapon, police spokesperson Tanya Little said. Officers were called to Cobbs Creek, a predominantly Black neighborhood in west Philadelphia. They encountered the man, later identified as Wallace, who was holding a knife, Little said. Officers ordered Wallace to drop the knife, but he instead “advanced towards” them. Both officers then fired “several times,” Little said. Wallace’s father, Walter Wallace Sr., told the Philadelphia Inquirer his son was on medication and struggled with mental health issues. “Why didn’t they use a taser?” he asked. Police commissioner Danielle Outlaw said she has ordered an investigation into the shooting.