Philadelphia officials release bodycam video and 911 calls in police shooting of walter wallace jr.

Cbsnews

Philadelphia officials release bodycam video and 911 calls in police shooting of walter wallace jr."


Play all audios:

Loading...

City officials in Philadelphia on Wednesday evening released officer body camera footage and 911 calls in the police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. The 27-year-old's shooting last week


led to demonstrations and unrest in the city.  The released 911 audio includes calls from Wallace's sister, brother and a neighbor, in which they tell a dispatcher Wallace is assaulting


his parents and ask for police.  The body camera footage begins with Wallace exiting the apartment and walking down the front steps, apparently holding a knife. He walks down a sidewalk


towards one of the officers as both officers point their guns at him and yell repeatedly, "Put the knife down!"  Wallace then turns to walk across the street towards the second


officer. A woman can be seen trying to intervene as the officers tell her to get back. Someone can be heard screaming, "He's mental, he's mental."  One of the officers


can be heard saying, "Get him" and "shoot him" as Wallace turns and walks toward the officers. Both open fire and shoot multiple rounds, striking him. Distraught


bystanders scream and try to help Wallace as he lays motionless on the ground. Wallace's family says he was in the midst of a mental health crisis when he was shot. Philadelphia police


said Wallace walked towards officers holding a knife and refused to drop it. He was shot 14 times by two officers who were not carrying Tasers, CBS Philadelphia reported. Dozens of peaceful


protesters had gathered Wednesday ahead of the video's release, the station reported. Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney said the video is "very painful" and shows "graphic


and violent images that may be intense and traumatic for some to watch." But he said transparency and accountability is necessary for meaningful change in the city.   Philadelphia


police commissioner Danielle Outlaw said the department was publicly releasing the bodycam footage in a police shooting for the first time in its history in an effort to improve


transparency. Outlaw asked for patience as she said two investigations were ongoing: An internal investigation by her department to determine whether any policies were violated and a


criminal investigation by the district attorney's office. Outlaw identified the two officers as a 25-year-old Sean Materazzo, who has been with the department since 2018, and


26-year-old Thomas Munz, who has been with the department since 2017. Lawyers for Wallace's family have said they don't want the officers to be charged because they were improperly


trained and didn't have the right equipment to do their job, The Associated Press reported.  Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said he's shown the video to the family


and respected their wishes to publish only the portions they believed were appropriate to share publicly. Krasner called Wallace's killing "heartbreaking" and apologized to


the family for what he called the city government's failure.     Fraternal Order of Police President John McNesby defended the involved officers in a statement to CBS Philly. McNesby


accused city officials of "casting blame on these officers for this incident in which they were forced to make a split-second decision." "These officers followed their


training and police department policy. It's completely inappropriate that these officers continue to be vilified for doing their job," the statement said.  Outlaw announced a


series of initiatives in partnership with the city's Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services to improve police response to mental health crises. Outlaw said


that 911 call takers and dispatchers would undergo training to better identify people who may be experiencing a behavioral health crisis to pair the caller with officers in the field who


are trained in crisis intervention. The department said it was also piloting a program to embed a clinical staff worker to work alongside police to determine the best response during crisis


calls. Outlaw said the department currently has 2,300 Tasers in use but needs a total of 4,500 to have the department fully outfitted. She said the department plans to ask the city council


for funding to issue Tasers to all officers within five years.   POLICE REFORM & RACIAL JUSTICE MORE Erin Donaghue Erin Donaghue reports and writes for CBSNews.com on topics including


criminal justice, social justice and culture.


Trending News

Creator of McDonald's iconic Big Mac dies

The inventor of the McDonald's Big Mac burger, the poster child of American fast food, has died. A McDonald's spokespers...

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Chlorhexidine Mouthwash

Bezzy communities provide meaningful connections with others living with chronic conditions. Join Bezzy on the web or mo...

Man utd 1-2 sevilla: red devils shocked as solskjaer's side lose again

Manchester United were stunned by Sevilla in the Europa League to suffer semi-final heartbreak for the third time this s...

Coronavirus diversions: What to play if you’re ‘bad’ at games

Video games, to the uninitiated, can be intimidating. And yet in this time of social distancing, video games may suddenl...

Full-length transcriptome analysis of a bloom-forming dinoflagellate Prorocentrum shikokuense (Dinophyceae)

Download PDF Data Descriptor Open access Published: 25 April 2024 Full-length transcriptome analysis of a bloom-forming ...

Latests News

Mexico trucking deal offers tariff relief for us products

Reporting from Mexico City — U.S. and Mexican officials Wednesday resolved a cross-border long-haul trucking dispute tha...

Philadelphia officials release bodycam video and 911 calls in police shooting of walter wallace jr.

City officials in Philadelphia on Wednesday evening released officer body camera footage and 911 calls in the police sho...

I’m a Serial Monogamist; Have Been Single Since One Year: PeeCee

Priyanka Chopra is working hard, shooting the third season of her American series Quantico. She’s also recently single a...

Cold sore in babies: causes, remedies, and more

A baby’s shiny new immune system is still figuring out how to best protect their tiny body. Sometimes germs can sneak in...

Autosomal dominant congenital superior oblique palsy

Purpose We describe a mother and all her offspring with congenital superior oblique palsy (CSOP), and a father and all h...

Top