Pa. National Guard being sent to Philadelphia in wake of police shooting

| Back | Text Size:

https://triblive.com/news/pennsylvania/pa-national-guard-being-sent-to-philadelphia-in-wake-of-police-shooting/

Pa. National Guard being sent to Philadelphia in wake of police shooting

Pennlive.Com | Wednesday, October 28, 2020 8:13 a.m.

Protesters confront police during a march Tuesday Oct. 27, 2020 in Philadelphia. Hundreds of demonstrators marched in West Philadelphia over the death of Walter Wallace, a Black man who was killed by police in Philadelphia on Monday. Police shot and killed the 27-year-old on a Philadelphia street after yelling at him to drop his knife. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

The Pennsylvania National Guard is sending several hundred members to support the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management and local agencies, according to a statement from the Guard.

State Public Affairs Officer LTC Keith Hickox said the mobilization comes at the direction of Gov. Tom Wolf and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

This order was made in the wake of the police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr., 27, who was shot during a mental health crisis on Monday. Protests broke out, resulting in injuries to at least 30 police officers, according to reports.

The Pa. National Guard’s role will be to assist in “protecting life, property and the right to peacefully assemble and protest,” Hickox said.

“Assisting civil authorities during times of need is one of our core missions in the National Guard and our Citizen Soldiers and Airmen are well-trained and well-prepared to assist our commonwealth and our communities in any way we can,” Hickox said.

Wallace’s family told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Wallace was on medication for his mental health and when they called 911 they were asking for an ambulance, not the police.

Instead, two officers arrived and ended up shooting at Wallace a total of 14 times, according to reports. It is unclear how many times Wallace was hit.

According to the AP, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said the officers involved had not been interviewed as of Tuesday afternoon. She also said neither officer had a Taser or similar devices. The department had asked for funding to equip more officers with those devices, Outlaw said.

More than 30 Philly cops injured during protests over police shooting of Black man

Details

Fraternal Order of Police statement
FOP State Lodge President Les Neri on Wednesday issued the following statement:
"What happened Monday night in Philadelphia was a tragedy for everyone involved. But to hear Gov. Wolf during a recent interview rush to unfounded conclusions by saying ‘this looks like part of the cycle of injustice that has been going on for far too long' was a total failure of good judgment and true leadership on his part. Such statements only serve to fuel an anti-police false narrative used by some for their own political purposes.
"Law enforcement is a very dangerous profession. Police officers never know when rapidly evolving situations will lead them to a split-second decision to use justified deadly force. When these encounters occur, everyone, including the governor, must resist a dangerous rush to judgment that only serves to cause more division, injury, destruction and heartbreak. We owe it to all involved to provide the time and resources for a proper and thorough investigation of the facts and circumstances that led to the use of that force.
"We will continue to keep the Wallace family, the involved officers, the officers injured during the post-incident rioting and looting, the business owners, the local community that suffered unwarranted property destruction, and even Gov. Wolf in our thoughts and prayers."