An 18-year-old man was shot and injured and seven cops were wounded after protesters pelted them with rocks and bricks, according to Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn.
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MaryNell Regan, executive director of the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission, said the program does not specifically seek minorities but has a goal of “diversity in recruitment”. The officers claim they then instructed Smith to drop the gun and began firing when he didn’t comply, fatally striking him once in the chest and once in the arm.
And she meant it literally: don’t bring the violence to her neighborhood. There were no reports of protesters Tuesday. According to a complaint, Smith and the man got into a vehicle chase before the man finally stopped and ran on foot. He has lived near the shooting scene since at least 2012 and was assigned to patrol that area after becoming an officer.
A year later, he was charged with carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, a misdemeanor.
Tensions remained sky high between the local Milwaukee community and law enforcement for much of Sunday and Monday as protests continued for the majority of the 48 hours following Smith’s death, but the streets were reportedly much calmer just ahead of a strict 10PM curfew imposed by authorities that took effect on Monday evening. He eluded Smith by hiding behind a house, according to the complaint. The Journal Sentinel has not found evidence of such a suit – settled or pending – in state or federal court.
Online court records indicate that the reckless endangerment charge was dismissed in November because of the recantation.
As that case was pending, Smith was charged with felony intimidation of a witness – the man he was accused of shooting at.
The Milwaukee police officer who shot a criminal suspect and kicked off days of civil unrest in the city is an aspiring rapper who previously rapped that, “Imma start a riot like it’s Baltimore”.
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Despite Smith’s good fortune in court, it apparently didn’t end his ties to crime. The victim in that crime reported 500 rounds of ammunition also were stolen.
