National Guard Will Be Deployed to Philly, Day After Fatal Police Shooting

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A day after Philadelphia Police fatally shot a knife-wielding man in West Philadelphia, new details emerged about the incident as the city prepares - just in case - for more unrest from the incident and ahead of the presidential election.

Early Tuesday evening, Gov. Tom Wolf's office confirmed that the Pennsylvania National Guard is mobilizing to head to Philly. Guard members will help protect local property and supplement the Philadelphia Police, a Guard spokesman told NBC10.

Officials previously said that if the Guard were deployed, their primary role would be to station outside businesses. The National Guard was deployed this spring in business districts and other locations including the Municipal Services Building.

The guard mobilized a day after family and neighbors around Locust and 61st streets watched Monday night as officers opened fire, killing Walter Wallace Jr. while his mother tried to restrain him from moving toward officers.

The incident, which was captured on video and spread through social media, sparked protests and renewed calls for justice from activists and City Council members. As the night wore on, that devolved into looting and vandalism in West Philadelphia, particularly along 52nd Street.

Sylvia Gallier Howard with the city's Commerce department said "eight or nine" other commercial corridors saw damage as well, and acknowledged that some businesses are closing up Tuesday as a precaution. The Commerce department recommended business move outdoor furniture and other small outdoor items indoors. Police will deploy looting response teams in commercial corridors just in case, Commissioner Danielle Outlaw told reporters in a news conference.

Looting and vandalism also broke out in Philly in May and June, following peaceful protests after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Chief Inspector Frank Vanore revealed that each officer fired their service weapon seven times, though it was not immediately clear how many of their shots hit Wallace.

And Outlaw revealed that the officers who fired at Wallace were not equipped with stun guns (also referred to as Tasers or electronic control weapons.)

Many other officers also do not carry Tasers, she said.

"We’re continuing to roll out the program as it relates to that. So with that said, yes it’s common for officers to respond to a domestic disturbance or any type of call with a gun, because it’s one of the tools that we carry on our tool belt."

Outlaw drew a distinction between the frightened and angered neighbors who witnessed or heard Wallace's final moments, and the people who looted and vandalized shops in the city overnight. She discouraged lumping the two groups together.

"It was a completely different group of folks, and quite frankly demographics that we saw there," Outlaw said. "And I heard from community some of the same frustrations expressed as well."

Scanner audio reviewed by NBC10 showed police were called to the scene and ordered to use caution while responding to an ongoing domestic dispute.

Court records show Wallace, 27, had previous disputes with family. But it wasn't clear if the officers who responded Monday had dealt with Wallace before.

Monday night and early Tuesday, police referred dozens of commercial burglary cases to prosecutors, District Attorney Larry Krasner said.

Of those cases, Krasner's office has enough information and evidence to charge 27 people with 2nd-degree commercial burglaries, he told reporters at a news conference. He... (Read more)

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