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Philadelphia Chaos Escalates: Over 1,000 Looters Swarm Stores, Reporter Attacked On-Camera

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Looting and rioting erupted in Philadelphia late Tuesday in the second night of violence triggered by a police shooting of a black man armed with a knife.

Walter Wallace Jr. was killed by police officers Monday afternoon after they responded to a call of an individual with a knife, according to USA Today. The officers demanded that Wallace drop the knife. When he did not and moved toward them, they opened fire, hitting Wallace in the shoulder and chest. He later died of his wounds.

After initial violence Monday in the neighborhood where the shooting took place, the rioting and looting spread Tuesday, with police saying more than 1,000 people hit businesses in another section of Philadelphia.

Voices from the street showed the extent of the rampant looting and violence. Elijah Schaffer of TheBlaze was attacked while reporting from the scene.

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As the rioting spread, the Pennsylvania National Guard was called out to help bring peace to the city.

The father of the shooting victim also asked for calm.

“All this violence and looting. I don’t want to leave a bad scar on my son and my family with this looting and chaos stuff,” Walter Wallace Sr. said, according to CNN. “So I want my son’s name and everybody to stop this. Give my son a chance. And the family like we’re decent people.”

“Everybody to have respect for our family, to pray for us. Cut it out. The looting is a mindset and it won’t bring my son back. And it won’t, it will escalate things to get worse instead of better,” he said.

Wallace’s family has said he had mental health issues.

In the familiar pattern of a peaceful march slowly giving way to rioting, as Tuesday wore on, the police became the targets.

Rocks, light bulbs and bricks were thrown at officers.

In one instance, a rioter took an ax to the front of a police car.

Police urged residents to stay indoors.

“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,” a tweet from the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management said.

“These areas are experiencing widespread demonstrations that have turned violent with looting.”

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

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