Curtis Wallace Jr Obituary – The man who was shot and killed by a Philadelphia Police officer on Thursday night has been identified as 36-year-old Curtis Wallace, Jr., according to his family. Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel provided details outside the hospital on Thursday. He stated that around 7 p.m., an officer tried to pull over a white Ford Lincoln sedan at Roosevelt Boulevard and F Street in Crescentville. The reason for the initial traffic stop is still unclear.
Bethel explained that the driver did not stop and continued driving north, with the officer in pursuit. Three bystanders witnessed the officer’s attempt to pull over the car and “blocked the highway for him.” Eventually, the car came to a stop on the Adams Avenue Bridge, near Newtown and Adams Avenues, with civilians in front and the officer behind.
According to the witnesses, the officer approached the driver’s side of the sedan after getting out of his patrol car. The driver, trapped, tried to escape by reversing into the officer’s vehicle, pinning him against the wall. Bethel stated, “Those independent witnesses say at some point they see the door open, and then at some point they see the car turn into the officer, striking him and pinning him against the wall.”
In response, the officer, who remains unidentified, fired multiple shots into the car. Bethel mentioned that a passenger in the car attempted to flee but was apprehended by the witnesses.
The driver of the car managed to flee the scene. However, officers located the vehicle about a mile away on the 200 block of Benner Street. The car had a bullet hole through the windshield, and inside they found Wallace, who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the torso.
Wallace was transported to Einstein Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after.
The officer, an eight-year veteran of the force who was patrolling alone, also sustained leg injuries and was taken to Einstein for treatment. He is expected to recover.
Wallace’s mother, Alice Idris, confirmed her son’s death, stating, “It’s true.”