Charlotte, NC — As protests in Philadelphia turn violent after a man armed with a knife was shot and killed by police, a line of police officers, who appear to have been containing rioting, was run down by a speeding truck which appears to have left the scene.
Philadelphia Police Sgt. Eric Gripp said the shooting occurred at about 4 p.m. after officers responded to a call about a man with a weapon, Fox 29 reported. He said the officers were “immediately met with a male who was carrying a knife.”
Gripp also said the man appeared to disregard orders to drop the knife. A video emerged that purported to show the moments before the shooting. The man’s mother could reportedly be seen chasing after her son and asking police not to open fire. The video showed the man, identified in reports as Walter Wallace Jr., walking towards the officers prior to the shooting. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that police said the officers drove the man to a nearby hospital after the incident.
Police said it was unclear how many times the person was shot but Walter Wallace Sr., the man’s father, told the paper that he believed his son was shot 10 times. He told the paper that his 27-year-old son had mental health issues and was on medication.
“Why didn’t they use a taser? His mother was trying to diffuse the situation,” he said, according to the paper.
You’re likely thinking, “Why didn’t he just comply and drop the knife?!” Of course, you’d be right to say that. The biggest problem that has taken place in a lot of these instances was failure or blatantly ignoring police commands.
Doing so will result, especially if you have a deadly weapon. Police officers have the right to diffuse situations with a similar or greater use of force than what is facing them at that given moment. That is called the use of force continuum that all cops are trained and operate under when doing their jobs.
As protests and looting started taking place after the incident, police were called out to help contain the violence that was befalling the city they’ve sworn to protect.
Watch as the video below shows the vehicle speeding through the line of police officers leaving several on the ground.
At the Philadelphia BLM riot, a cop got hit or run over by a speeding vehicle. https://t.co/S12XuEoNAi
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) October 27, 2020
Reports from the scene say that the people in the truck have been arrested, but it cannot be confirmed at this time.
Naturally, because twitter is a disgusting and vile collection of some of the most disgusting and vile individuals in the United States, there were others who responded to this video with similar tweets saying, “The police shouldn’t have been blocking the road!”
First, that’s just disgusting. Second, police are charged with protecting the people and the streets. Blocking a road by humans protesting is unlawful and dangerous while cops have an intended and greater purpose. Their job is to diffuse violence, keep bystanders and businesses safe, and help people from getting in their own way and hurting themselves.
Additional videos of looting and rioting from the area:
Mass looting has broken out in Philadelphia as Black Lives Matter activists take to the streets to protest the shooting death of a man who charged at police officers with a knife. https://t.co/Aj9IN47Rx8
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) October 27, 2020
It appears that police in Philadelphia have a tough few days and weeks ahead of them. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
You can contact Bennett through The Liberty Loft’s website. Be sure to subscribe to The Liberty Loft’s daily newsletter. If you enjoy our content, please consider donating to support The Liberty Loft to continue to deliver great content.