(Milwaukee County Sheriff via AP).
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Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke said at a news conference that Smith had been arrested 13 times. He said there were no plans for a curfew but that one would be enforced if needed.
Little is known about the one person who was shot at a protest Sunday evening; police retrieved that victim in an armored vehicle and took him or her to the hospital.
Protesters threw rocks and fired shots in a second night of violence in a tense neighbourhood of Milwaukee following the deadly police shooting of an armed black man.
Officers wearing helmets and body armor moved to disperse the crowds after shots rang out on Sunday night.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker took the precaution of activating the National Guard in case more violence broke out over the death of Sylville K. Smith, 23, who was shot while trying to flee from an officer who had stopped his vehicle. Neither his race nor the officer’s was immediately released, nor were they identified.
The protests come after a first night of protests Saturday night that left four officers injured and several businesses torched. Wisconsin’s governor says the state’s National Guard won’t be deployed in Milwaukee unless the city’s police chief decides to do so.
Flynn blamed a Chicago chapter of the Revolutionary Communist Party for upending what had until then been a peaceful night by leading marchers down several blocks at around 11:30 p.m. TV footage showed a small group of protesters walking or running through the streets, sometimes toppling orange construction barriers. The department also said multiple people were arrested.
Smith’s shooting happened in the Sherman Park neighborhood, which is in north Milwaukee.
“There were no other reports of injuries and no major destruction of property”, the AP writes. Authorities did not say whether Smith had pointed the gun at officers or fired any shots during the incident. Flynn cautioned that the shooting was still under investigation and that authorities were awaiting autopsy results, but that the officer “certainly appeared to be within lawful bounds”, based on video from his body camera. He said about 25 seconds elapsed before Smith, who had run a few dozen feet, was shot. He added it was unclear how many rounds the officer fired in response but that Smith was wounded in the chest and arm. “He did not drop his gun”. Calls for a review of police practices are also growing in the midwestern city, as the latest shooting is already being regarded a repeat incident. “A young man lost his life yesterday afternoon”, he said. “And, no matter what the circumstances, his family must be hurting”. Police didn’t say who shot the man but that they were looking for suspects. According to the police, a auto fire was also reported in the city. Court records identify Smith as black. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel newspaper reported he had been charged over a shooting and witness intimidation, charges that were eventually dropped.
Smith’s sister, Kimberly Neal, told The Associated Press the family wants prosecutors to file charges against the officer. Almost 40 percent of them African-Americans who are heavily concentrated on the north side.
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The two men fled, prompting the officer – a black 24-year-old with six years of experience – to chase them, Police Chief Edward Flynn told reporters Sunday.
