(PHILADELPHIA, PA, 10/29/20) — On Monday afternoon, October 26, Walter Wallace, Jr. was killed by 14 bullets fired by two police officers in West Philadelphia. Mr. Wallace was a Black man suffering from mental illness and was holding a knife. Mr. Wallace was shot in front of his mother, who was attempting to calm her son and defuse the situation. Almost immediately, protests against the killing broke out in the neighborhood where Mr. Wallace lived, as well as other locations around Philadelphia.
CAIR-Philadelphia, the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (the nation’s preeminent Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization) extends its condolences to the Wallace family and hopes they will find some measure of comfort from family members, friends, and their community.
CAIR-Philadelphia calls for an independent investigation of the killing of Walter Wallace, Jr., led by the office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. We note with both sadness and outrage that to date in 2020, 142 Black men and women have been killed by police officers across the United States.
Commenting on the death of Mr. Wallace, CAIR-Philadelphia Civil Rights Attorney Timothy Welbeck, Esq. stated: “The tragic death of Mr. Wallace is but the most recent atrocity carried out by law enforcement against Black America. We must find a way to stem the constant news of citizens losing their lives to the very people paid with taxpayer dollars to protect them.”
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director Jacob Bender, 917-660-3805 (mobile), 267-515-6710 (office), jbender@cair.com
