Police said they shot Walter Wallace Jr., 27, after responding to a call about a man armed with a knife.
The responding officers ordered Wallace “several times” to drop the knife and he continued to “advance towards” them, according to a statement. They then discharged their weapons “multiple times,” shooting him in the chest and shoulder, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital just after 4 p.m., the statement added.
Protesters, including Black Lives Matter activists, poured into the streets after the incident, while unrests turned into looting as people broke into shops and torched patrol cars in the city.
Cities across the US have been grappling with mass protests triggered by the deaths of George Floyd and other black Americans at the hands of police. Peaceful rallies have at times been followed by intense unrest and looting. The protests led by the Black Lives Matter movement have also bolstered a broader debate and discussion on police brutality and racial justice in the country.
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