Murder charges dismissed
Police have made at least 52 arrests after a second night of looting in Philadelphia saw thieves raid a lottery machine, steal a safe, and ransack a liquor store.
a judge dismissed all charges, including murder, against Officer Mark Dial
The looting began Tuesday night after a judge dismissed all charges, including murder, against Officer Mark Dial who fatally shot 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry during a traffic stop in August.
Officer Dial had been charged with murder, voluntary manslaughter, and five other counts resulting from the shooting. Police initially said that Irizarry had “lunged at the officers” while outside his vehicle; however, video footage showed that to be incorrect.
According to Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford, those connected with the looting were not part of the peaceful protest. He labeled the looters “a bunch of criminal opportunists.”
Liquor stores shut down
As a result of the looting, 18 state-run liquor stores were broken into this week. In the interest of employee safety, the Philadelphia Liquor Control Board made the decision to close all 48 of its retail locations in Philadelphia and one in suburban Cheltenham on Wednesday.
some were understandably shaken” over the events
While no employees were hurt, liquor board spokesperson Shawn Kelly said “some were understandably shaken” over the events.
Fine Wine and Good Spirits was targeted by looters with the store smashed apart. Broken bottles, empty boxes, and ransacked shelves could be seen in footage of the aftermath of the looting.
In addition to the 52 arrests last night, at least 30 other people have had burglary, theft, and other counts filed against them in relation to the looting.
Illegal behavior won‘t be tolerated
In what appears to be coordinated attacks, other places hit by criminals included Apple, Footlocker, and Lululemon.
In the destruction, mannequins and sneakers were left scattered. At the Apple store, when the thieves realized the products were disabled, they smashed them on the ground.
Police are investigating several vehicles that appeared to go from location to location for looting. Mayor Jim Kenney, a Democrat, said it was a “sickening display of opportunistic criminal activity,” and that “this destructive and illegal behavior cannot and will not be tolerated in our city.”
For one pharmacist, this was the third time his store had been hit by looters since 2020. He said: “When looters steal from us, what they don’t seem to understand is that they are also stealing from our neighbors. It makes you question how much longer you can hang on.”