Couple gets engaged during Philadelphia protests for Walter Wallace Jr.
Continued protests in Philadelphia calling for justice for Walter Wallace Jr. became the backdrop for a local couple's proposal.
A Philadelphia couple upgraded from boyfriend and girlfriend to fiancé and fiancée after getting engaged during a protest.
Read More: Walter Wallace Jr.’s young son speaks on shooting: ‘White, racist cops got my own dad’
A video of the proposal went viral as the man dropped down to one knee to ask the woman for her hand in marriage. Later identified as Maurice Small and Tanesha Pennington, the couple had been together for years which lead to this moment. Uploaded to Twitter by Jason Peters, the love-filled moment occurred directly in front of riot police.
“My name is Tanesha Pennington, but it’s gonna be Tanesha Small,” she said according to Peters in the follow up tweet.
Pennington and Small have dated each other for eight years. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the couple lost a baby to miscarriage. The tragic event strengthened their bond and was a factor that resulted in the engagement.
“We realized we didn’t want to be with anyone else,” Pennington said according to the Inquirer.
Read More: Philadelphia police fatally shoot Walter Wallace, 27; protesters take to the streets
As the couple enjoyed one of the biggest moments of their lives, the onlookers cheered on and recorded the moment. The streets were full of protestors, demanding the Philadelphia police be held accountable for the death of Walter Wallace Jr. who was fatally shot by law enforcement on Monday.
theGrio reported Philadelphia police responded to three disturbance calls from Wallace’s home the day of the incident. There had been at least 31 calls made since May with issues that ranged from low priority to an individual described as making threats. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw revealed the officers used firearms due to a potential lack of other weapons.
“Every police officer is not issued a taser at this time,” Outlaw said according to theGrio.
She also did not confirm whether or not the officers deployed on the third, fatal trip were aware of earlier calls for help. Outlaw assured the bodycam footage would be reviewed.
“We are currently reviewing everything that we have right now to ensure what we can release and by when we can do that. I can commit to releasing information or actually commit to communicating what information will be released in the next 48 to 72 hours. Whether or not the body cam footage will be a part of that, I don’t know at this point in the day, but I am committed to being transparent as possible,” Outlaw said according to the report.
Wallace’s family said the 27-year-old had mental health issues and was on medication.
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