Philadelphia Mayor imposes 9 p.m. curfew to take effect Friday night over Wallace killing

The Kenney administration imposed a curfew on Friday four days after the fatal police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr.

The curfew will be in effect between 9 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Saturday, the Kenney administration said in a released statement.

Protests and civil unrest, including looting, have continued since Monday when police fatally shot Wallace, a 27-year-old Black man who was wielding a knife, during a confrontation in West Philadelphia.

The National Guard was deployed in Philadelphia Friday. Gov. Tom Wolf authorized the deployment on Tuesday.

Since Monday, the city has arrested 212 individuals and issued 18 code violation notices, according to the Kenney administration. The city has reported 443 looting incidents, 22 ATM explosions during that time, and damage to 18 law enforcement vehicles.

Fifty-eight officers have been injured, of which one remains hospitalized.

The Kenney administration put in place a citywide curfew on Wednesday but did not impose one on Thursday.

In a joint statement from Kenney, Krasner, Outlaw and the Wallace family:

“The Wallace Family, the Mayor, District Attorney, and Police Commissioner have all agreed that releasing the body camera footage and 911 audio on Wednesday, November 4, by the close of business is in the best interest of our city and its residents. Philadelphians are experiencing an immense amount of pain, and significant unrest persists throughout the entire city. The collective hope of our local government and the Wallace family is that releasing the recordings on November 4 will provide enough time to calm tensions and for the recordings to be released in the most constructive manner possible.”

Mayor Jim Kenney, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw and others are expected to hold a virtual news conference at 2 p.m.

Michael D’Onofrio is a reporter for the Philadelphia Tribune, where this story first appeared.