Authorities are investigating after a man reportedly armed with a knife was shot and killed Monday by Philadelphia police, numerous sources reported.
Police said they responded to a report of a man with a weapon in West Philadelphia, according to NBC Philadelphia.
@FOX29philly has viewed the video from todays police shooting in West Philadelphia. These images were taken moments before the 27 year old man armed with a knife was shot and killed by 2 @PhillyPolice officers. Neighbors say his mother witnessed the shooting.More tonight at 10pm. pic.twitter.com/8db0rQMFW6
— Chris O’Connell (@CoconnellFox29) October 26, 2020
When they arrived at the scene, they encountered a man with a knife who was told repeatedly to drop the knife, according to police. The unidentified man didn’t follow calls to drop the knife, and police opened fire, shooting him multiple times, according to NBC. (RELATED: Mississippi Police Arrest Suspect In McDonald’s Drive-Thru Shooting That Left One Dead)
I’m in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood of Philadelphia, where police shot a Black man less than an hour ago. Witnesses say he had a knife but was not charging police. Numerous shell casings are in the street. Neighbors are irate, crying, yelling at police. pic.twitter.com/oWtIJTDdUw
— Ellie Rushing (@EllieRushing) October 26, 2020
The man was then taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Family members reportedly identified him as Walter Wallace Jr., according to the Inquirer.
A witness told NBC that he didn’t hear officers tell the man to drop the knife. Many neighbors witnessed the shooting, according to 6 ABC reporter Christine Ileto. Witnesses said the man was armed with a knife but did not charge at police, the Inquirer reported. There were also reportedly more than a dozen evidence markers.
Emotions are running high among a growing crowd of neighbors, many of whom witnessed the officer involved shooting. @PPDCommish spoke with some of them on scene. Full video on my Facebook page @6abc https://t.co/qCAYVqN37a pic.twitter.com/IVJ40nCxB2
— Christie Ileto (@Christie_Ileto) October 26, 2020
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said in a statement that the office’s Special Investigations Unit is investigating jointly with the Philadelphia Police Department’s Officer-Involved Shooting Investigation Unit, 6 ABC reported.
“We intend to go where the facts and law lead us and to do so carefully, without rushing to judgment and without bias of any kind,” the statement says. “In the hours and days following this shooting, we ask Philadelphians to come together to uphold people’s freedom to express themselves peacefully and to reject violence of any kind.”