A police officer was struck in the head with a brick that was thrown through the window of his cruiser, several police cars were vandalized and at least one set on fire.
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Extra officers, some donning riot gear, were called to a neighborhood on the city’s north side on Saturday evening after an officer-involved shooting that left a 23-year-old man dead.
Police have not said whether the man fired any shots or pointed the weapon at officers during the incident, however, a second suspect who fled from the vehicle now remains in custody.
Around 100 protesters massed at 44th Street and Auer Avenue between 8 and 9 p.m., surging against a line of 20 to 30 officers.
On Sunday morning, about three dozen volunteers swept up glass and filled trash bags with rocks, bricks and bottles at the intersection where a gas station burned to the ground and bus shelters were knocked over.
Police said they made three arrests.
Mayor Barrett said the officer was wearing a body camera which was operating at the time of the shooting.
An eyewitness nicknamed EX414 livestreamed the escalating violence on his Ustream channel. hots were being fired near the gas station, preventing police from extinguishing the fire, the Milwaukee Police Department said on its Twitter account. “There are a lot of really, really good people who live in this area… and can’t stand this violence”.
A Milwaukee police spokesman didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking confirmation of Smith as the suspect.
Shortly after 2 a.m. police said they were restoring order to the area and reducing deployments, but local news footage also showed a liquor store in flames just minutes before the release of the statement.
The relationship between police and minority communities in Milwaukee has been “tense”, Cheryl said “especially since a couple of years ago, a young man, Dontre Hamilton was shot by a white police officer 14 times”.
Milwaukee police said in a statement that at approximately 3:30 p.m., two uniformed officers stopped two male occupants in a auto, who proceeded to flee the scene on foot. “The black people of Milwaukee are exhausted, they are exhausted of living under this oppression, this is their life”.
Mr Barrett said the man who died was stopped by police for “suspicious activity”.
Police said at least three people had been arrested as of early Sunday.
City officials have appealed for calm after more than 100 protesters took to the streets after news of the shooting spread.
Community volunteers have turned out to clean up after violent protests ransacked a north Milwaukee neighborhood following a police shooting.
Alderman Khalif Rainey, who represents the district where the violence occurred, said the city’s black residents are “tired of living under this oppression”. When the suspects stopped, they both ran from the vehicle. The races of the man and officer haven’t been released.
Police earlier said that the handgun the suspect was armed with was taken in a burglary in Waukesha, Wisconsin, last March. He has been placed on administrative leave.
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It is unclear what prompted the 24-year-old police officer to fire.
