Dominique Heaggan attended grade school in Milwaukee and joined the city’s police force as a teenage aide through a program that aims to recruit young people into law enforcement, including minorities.
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Following a night of violence that left half a dozen businesses in flames, the Milwaukee police chief expressed surprise at the level of unrest that erupted after the fatal shooting Saturday of a black man by a black officer.
A few hours after the shooting, violence erupted on the city’s largely black north side, with protesters hurling rocks at police and burning six businesses and a squad vehicle.
Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn says there is body-cam video of the shooting that shows Smith pointed a gun at police.
The ACLU’s letter to Attorney General Brad Schimel notes that he promised a thorough, fast and transparent investigation. A police officer was injured and also taken to the hospital after a rock broke the windshield of a squad vehicle, according to Milwaukee Police.
“This boy knew my brother personally from high school”, Sherelle Smith told the Milwaukee television station.
“This stop took place because two officers … saw suspicious activity”, Barrett said. Police said the officer shot Smith after he failed to comply with orders to put his gun down.
The problems began Saturday afternoon when police stopped a rental auto that was driving suspiciously, Flynn said. Smith was 23. It’s not clear how well the men knew each other.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Smith was subsequently accused of pressuring the victim to recant statements that identified him as the gunman and was charged with trying to intimidate a witness. It’s in the custody of the state Justice Department, which is leading the investigation into the shooting.
The handgun, along with 500 rounds of ammunition, were stolen during a burglary in nearby Waukesha in March, police said.
A group of about 100 gathered at the park near a BP gas station that was burned during Saturday’s protests.
“What happened. may not have been right, and I am not justifying that, but no one can deny the fact that there are problems, racial problems in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that need to be rectified”, Rainey said.
Six businesses were burned Saturday night, the first and worst night of the unrest.
After a tumultuous weekend mired in protests and violence, many Milwaukee residents hoped for calm.
Flynn said the officer is now staying with relatives out of town. The state is investigating.
Police in riot gear assemble in an alley after disturbances following the police shooting of a man in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. August 15, 2016.
About six people were arrested in the early evening on Monday, city officials said, but the atmosphere appeared to have changed following two days of standoffs between unruly and sometimes violent demonstrators and police.
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City politician Khalif Rainey – who represents the Sherman Park neighbourhood – issued a plea for peace on Monday, calling Milwaukee residents to “put down the bricks and put away the guns”.
