A second night of protests in Milwaukee resulted in even more violence following the police shooting of a black man Saturday afternoon.
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In Milwaukee, in the Midwest state of Wisconsin, officers at one point used an armoured vehicle to rescue a shooting victim and rush the person to hospital. At least one person was shot and hospitalized, and an officer was wounded after a rock broke the windshield of a police vehicle, Milwaukee police said. An unspecified “projectile” was thrown at another officer, who was protected by a helmet.
A police officer was injured when a rock hit him in the side of the head. “I do, however, hope people will give law enforcement the respect they deserve for working so hard to keep us safe”, he said.
The turbulent weekend prompted Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to declare a state of emergency, but the National Guard was not deployed Monday as local police tried to restore order.
While the unease in Milwaukee on Sunday night showed that the city remained on edge after an officer shot and killed an armed man fleeing a traffic stop a day earlier, the community did not have the same kind of violence that erupted Saturday night, when a half-dozen businesses were set on fire.
Seventeen people were arrested in the disturbances, Flynn said.
Cities across the country have been propelled into national headlines in recent years after unrest sparked by how police use force, particularly deadly force.
Investigators said Smith had a long record of criminal activities and claimed he was shot at when he tried to run away after an officer stopped his vehicle.
“I lost my brother”. Now somebody got killed reaching for his wallet, but now they can say he got a gun on him and they reached for it. Never. Never. That’s pain.
Nonetheless, Flynn said the department is “concerned for [the officer’s] safety” and that the officer was staying with relatives out of town.
The O’Reilly Auto Parts store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was set on fire during protests after a fatal officer-involved shooting near Saturday afternoon. Police tweeted three locations where they said shots were fired.
“That still photo demonstrates, without question, that he had a gun in his hand”.
“I want our community to know that”, Barrett said. Police say Smith was armed and pointed to his criminal history. He is now on administrative leave, which is standard protocol in an officer-involved shooting. Riot police was faced with over a hundred people throwing bottles and pieces of concrete.
Asked about the violence on Saturday night, Neal said: “People stuck together and they are trying to stand up”, for their rights.
President Barack Obama was updated on the situation by a senior adviser, who spoke with Barrett to offer the administration’s support for local authorities, the White House said. About an hour later, police had arrested several protesters after they refused to leave the area.
On Sunday, shootings were reported in three separate locations, CNN reported, and bricks, glass bottles and rocks were thrown at a squad vehicle.
The mayor said four officers had been taken to the hospital, but all had been released. Smith’s father, Patrick Smith, said he blames himself for his son’s actions. Meanwhile, the National Guard is on standby if Milwaukee authorities say they need help. Walker praised citizens who showed up Sunday to clean up the north side neighborhood where the violence took place.
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The protesters were largely black, and Alderman Khalif Rainey – who represents the district – said early Sunday morning that the city’s black residents are “tired of living under this oppression”.
