PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Police leaders struggled to answer questions Tuesday about what led to the death of Walter Wallace under more than a dozen rounds fired by two Philadelphia officers who say he refused calls to put down a knife in a confrontation that led to unrest in the predominantly Black neighborhood.
Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw deferred many questions at a news conference about events before Monday afternoon’s shooting, including what officers knew when they responded to the call, whether or how many times they had interacted with Wallace before, and whether any information had been given to officers about mental health concerns.
Chief Inspector Frank Vanore said he could confirm that police received a call about a man screaming and that he was armed with a knife. The two officers each fired at least seven rounds – at least 14 total shots – but could not say how many times Wallace was struck.
The officers had not been interviewed as of Tuesday afternoon, Outlaw said. Neither officer had a Taser or similar device, with Outlaw saying the department has previously asked for funding to equip more officers with those devices.
Police arrested at least 91 people during unrest Monday night and Tuesday morning, with three people being cited for failing to disperse and about a dozen being charged with assault of an officer. Police had previously said 30 officers were injured in the unrest.