A Lawyer For Walter Wallace Jr.’s Household Says They Known as An Ambulance, Not Police For A Psychological Well being Disaster (Replace)

As Philadelphia residents take to the streets every evening to protest the police murder of Walter Wallace Jr., his family speaks of the tragic incident.

According to the family’s lawyer, his family requested an ambulance to help him with a mental crisis, but police showed up instead, NBC Philadelphia reports.

Wallace, a 27-year-old father of nine, was gunned down by police officers in front of his mother Monday afternoon. The police told him to drop a knife he was holding and told his mother to get out of the way before firing at him.

His parents said Tuesday night that officials knew their son was in a mental crisis because they had been to the family home three times that day. “They stood there laughing at us,” said Walter Wallace Jr.’s mother, Cathy Wallace.

The family, like the protesters, want to know why the police used deadly force in response to Wallace’s mental health crisis. “When you get to a scene where someone is in a mental crisis and the only tool you have to deal with is a weapon … where are the right tools for the job?” The family’s lawyer, Shaka Johnson, said Philadelphia police officers were insufficiently trained to deal with mental health problems.

Johnson said Wallace’s brother called 911 to get medical help and an ambulance.

Johnson also said Wallace’s wife, Dominique Wallace, is pregnant and is expected to be work-related on Wednesday.

About 500 people had gathered in a park in West Philadelphia on Tuesday evening and marched through the neighborhood. There were reports of arrests in other parts of the city on Tuesday evening around 9 p.m.

We’ll keep you updated on the Philly protests and any updates on this.

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