News Information and Media Site: Man killed by Philadelphia police had mental health problems, family says. They called an ambulance, but officers arrived first.

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Man killed by Philadelphia police had mental health problems, family says. They called an ambulance, but officers arrived first.

Oct 28, 2020

Man killed by Philadelphia police had mental health problems, family says. They called an ambulance, but officers arrived first.

Relatives of Walter Wallace Jr. say he suffered from mental illness and was struggling with "another one of his episodes" Monday when two officers responding to a call from his family shot and killed him. Family members said they called 911 to request an ambulance and had hoped for Wallace to receive medical intervention but that police arrived first.

The state of Wallace's mental health — and how familiar police were with his history — has sparked questions about officers' response at the scene and their use of lethal force. His death, which comes after a series of high-profile cases of Black people dying at the hands of law enforcement, has also renewed the focus on policing and mental health and how to best defuse unstable situations.