The unrest began after a Milwaukee officer shot and killed 23-year-old Sylville Smith, a black man, after he allegedly pointed a stolen semi-automatic handgun at police.
Advertisement
Mayor Tom Barrett implored the parents of any children at the scene to “get them home right now”.
Flynn said Saturday wasn’t the first time the department has used deadly force and the disturbances that followed can’t be pinned exclusively on anger over the shooting.
Sylville K Smith was shot dead by police in Milwaukee.
At least one person was shot in Milwaukee late Sunday as protests over a fatal police shooting turned violent for a second night. Flynn said the man “doesn’t seem to be in medical danger”.
Smith was the 16th person shot and killed by police so far this year in Wisconsin, according to a Washington Post database tracking such shootings.
“In recognition of the violence that has affected Milwaukee residents for the last 48 hours, DOJ is working expeditiously, and within the parameters of the law, to provide the community a transparent view of the events that took place on August 13”, Koremonos said in a statement. Officers are called on to address broader societal issues than crime and public safety, which makes policing vital to those communities, but also volatile.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker had activated the National Guard on Sunday in case more trouble flared, but despite the violence, police said the guardsmen were not called in.
Clarke said “an intact family” and the ability to “self-criticize” could help curb such destructive behavior. There were 17 arrests made on Saturday night, police said. After reviewing body camera footage of the incident, Flynn said Smith fled the officer, who was also black, then turned toward the officer and raised his arm as he held a gun.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Mr 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. He said about 25 seconds elapsed before Smith, who had run a few dozen feet, was shot. “It is also important for citizens to know that Wisconsin is the first state in the nation to have a law requiring an independent investigation anytime there is a shooting by a law enforcement officer that leads to a death”.
Last year, the state Justice Department agreed to review Milwaukee police procedures after a white officer shot Dontre Hamilton, a mentally ill black man, in a downtown park during a scuffle. The chief says many people outside the neighborhood are using that for their own agendas.
People gather for a prayer vigil near the BP gas station that was burned during the protests.
Smith’s death was just the latest in a string of shootings involving police and black men to spark demonstrations and protests.
“I’m hopeful that that will not be necessary”, Barrett said. Police are “just killing at will because they have a badge”.
Chief Ed Flynn blamed “these characters” from the Revolutionary Communist Party that “showed up and started causing problems” on Sunday.
Advertisement
“There is ample opportunity for second-guessing, I’m sure”, Flynn said.
