In Philadelphia, protesters took to the streets, and bands of looters broke into business areas for a second night after officers shot and killed a Black man who was holding a knife in an encounter that city officials say raises questions.
A group marched peacefully for much of the night, chanting Walter Wallace Jr.’s name and saying, “Whose streets? Our streets.”
The peaceful protest went violent near a police precinct when the large crowd encountered a handful of officers. Several people in the crowd threw rocks, light bulbs, and bricks at the police. According to a CNN crew at the scene, one officer was injured.
Moreover, according to a police tweet and video from a CNN affiliate’s helicopter, there was looting by other groups of people in another part of the city. In the aerial pictures from KYW, people looting a Foot Locker and others emerging from a Walmart with televisions and other items can be seen.
“The Philadelphia Police Department is requesting that all residents in the 12, 16, 18, 19, 24, 25, and 26th Districts remain indoors except when necessary,” the city’s office of emergency management tweeted. “These areas are experiencing widespread demonstrations that have turned violent with looting.”
Monday’s shooting of Wallace, 27, was caught on cell phone video. It drew fresh attention to fatal use of force by police following months of protests over how officers treat Black people. The shooting and violent protests that left 30 officers injured, also sharpen the focus on the swing state of Pennsylvania a week before the presidential election.
According to spokesman Lt. Col. Keith Hickox, the state and city officials had requested help from the Pennsylvania National Guard, which will be mobilizing several hundred members.