Police Brutality has become a large topic in America as protests arise and citizens begin seeking forms of justice by advocating for the indictments of police officers and talking about what effective reform looks like. The Philadelphia family affected by the recent shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. does not want the police officers involved in the shooting to be charged with murder because they feel the incident is the product of a lack of proper training.
What We Know:
- The family attorney Shaka Johnson was asked by a reporter if the family was calling for charges against the Philadelphia officers who fired the shots that killed Walter Wallace Jr. The attorney, a former SWAT team member, replied by critiquing the way that officers are taught to kill and the lack of access to non-lethal weapons or crisis training and that the family would not be seeking a murder charge because of those factors.
- The family attorney made it clear in the same interview that he and the family believed none of the 14 shots were necessary, and according to Johnson, Wallace Jr. was incapacitated after the first shot.
- The bodycam footage will not be released until the Wednesday after the 2020 election, even though Johnson and the Wallace family were hoping for a sooner release.
- Protests in Philadelphia–where the shooting occurred are on the rise. Wallace Sr. does not find the protests to be an effective call for justice and says they, “ain’t helping my family. They are showing disrespect”.
- Protests continue as justice comes into question for the city of Philadelphia and the family of Walter Wallace Jr. The family continues to speak about the mental health struggles that Wallace Jr. faced, in hopes of shining a light on who Wallace really was.
The son of Walter Wallace Jr. speaking to interviewers about his father’s death. (Screenshot courtesy of World News)
One of Wallace’s sons told CNN reporters that his father taught him how to be a man and that “black lives matter”.
