Crowds of protesters gathered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin after an officer fatally shot an allegedly armed man. The rally soon turned violent as protesters set cars and properties ablaze and clashed with police. Officials have confirmed that at least three people have been arrested.
16 August 2016
"They knew each other"
The sister of the black man shot dead by a black Milwaukee police officer says the two knew each other.
"The boy knew my brother personally from high school. They knew each other. You knew exactly how my brother was and you shot and killed him," Sylville Smith's sister, Sherelle, told WITI.
The officer's name has yet to be released by the police department.
Calling for peaceful demonstration, Sherelle, added, "I invite any color, any gender, any race, any age to come have fun with us. Come to our parades or come support our barbecues or our rallies or our stop the violence things, you know. It seems like we're so segregated. And it's for nothing. It's for nothing."
The report came amid rumors that the two were not strangers.
Sherman Park arrests
Jenna Sachs of WITI reported multiple arrests in Sherman Park in the 8 o'clock hour Monday evening.
Manila Chan coverage
RT's Manila Chan was on-scene in Sherman Park right next to the gas station that was engulfed in flames in Saturday's riots. At the park, various prayer groups gathered, when seemingly out of nowhere a commotion broke out.
A young man carrying a plastic bag "bolted" from the gas station to the other end of the park, where he was captured by police who were chasing him. No further details were available, but the peaceful demonstration was reminded of the volatile environment in the area since uprisings erupted over the weekend.
15 August 2016
Curfew imposed
A 10:00pm curfew will be enforced Monday evening, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett confirmed, according to Reuters. The public space time limit comes in reaction to riots over the weekend.
"There is a curfew that will be more strictly enforced tonight for teenagers," Barrett said during a Monday press conference. "So parents, after 10 o'clock your teenagers better be home or in a place where they're off the streets."
The mayor also reiterated his position in favor of releasing police body camera recordings, following the fatal shooting of Sylville K. Smith, a 23-year-old black man the police say refused to drop a stolen handgun Saturday night.
The African-American man shot and killed by the police on Saturday afternoon was identified as Sylville Smith, 23.
At a press conference Sunday, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said he had seen a still from the officer's body camera footage that “demonstrates, without question, that [Smith] had a gun in his hand.”
Though he has not been identified by name, the officer who shot Smith is also African-American, police said.
Reports of automatic gunfire have emerged minutes after the announcement.
Police say they have moved to disperse what they said was a “small disorderly crowd near 48th and Center” after the clashes started. Earlier, a crowd of protesters marched towards the police station.
One person was shot and rushed to the hospital in Milwaukee where disturbances continued for a second night. The crowd has been throwing objects at officers, blocking roads and firing some shots, police said.
14 August 2016
The US government offered federal support to the Milwaukee authorities to tackle the outbreak of violence in the city, following an officer-involved shooting. US President Barack Obama’s senior adviser Valerie Jarrett held a phone conversation with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett on the issue, AP reports, citing the White House spokeswoman, Jen Friedman.
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The suspect was 23 years old and had a lengthy arrest record, said the authorities, which also claimed that he was carrying a stolen handgun loaded with 23 rounds of ammunition.
Violence is ongoing in the city, according to reports on Twitter. Urban Suburban Fire Incident Reporting, USFiR2015, reported a garage fire in the Bobolink Avenue district and a blaze on Burleigh street.
“We are asking every resident of this community to do everything they can to help us restore order,” Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said. “If you love your son, if you love your daughter, text them, call them, pull them by the ears and get them home.”
“Our city is in turmoil tonight,” Alderman Ashanti Hamilton, president of the Milwaukee Common Council, said, as cited by Reuters.
“This is a warning cry,” Alderman Khalif Rainey told Reuters. “Black people of Milwaukee are tired. They are tired of living under this oppression.”
The north side of the city is calming down in the wake of the violence, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said, adding that the shooting will be investigated. The officer who shot the allegedly armed man was wearing a body camera, according to the mayor.
According to Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett, at least three arrests have been made as a result of the protests so far. Speaking to the media, he asked the parents of anyone at scene of the rally to “get them home right now.”
One of the police officers suffered an injury when a brick was hurled at him through a squad car window. He is currently being treated at local hospital, police tweeted.
Shortly before the situation turned violent, a woman claiming to be the killed suspect’s relative called on the people who had gathered to calm down.
“We don’t want anyone else to go to jail or get hurt,” she said, as cited by Journal Sentinel.
Several shots have been allegedly fired into the air by some people in the crowd.
Over 100 protesters confronted a line of 20 to 30 officers, Journal Sentinel reported. As the officers sat in their cars getting ready to leave, some participants of the impromptu rally began hitting the car windows, smashing them.
Rioters apparently set several other properties on fire, including a bank. A live stream video showed thick smoke coming out of the windows of BMO Harris Bank, while several fire trucks parked in the area could be seen responding to the fire, after some hesitation.
The rally soon turned violent as protesters set several vehicles on fire, including a police car. The crowd of rioters then proceeded to break into and loot a gas station, which was then seemingly set alight too.
Milwaukee assistant police chief Bill Jessup told Sentinel that the man who was killed had “a lengthy arrest record,” but did not specify the nature of the crimes.
The gun the suspect allegedly had with him was stolen in March in Waukesha, Jessup claimed, adding that some 500 rounds of ammunition had been stolen in that burglary overall.
The events leading up to Saturday night’s riots began when an unnamed police officer pulled over a car with two men inside, who then left the vehicle and attempted to run away. A chase ensued on foot, and police fired shots at one of the men, fatally wounding him. The 23-year-old, whose name has not been released, allegedly was in possession of a stolen handgun, police spokesman Captain Mark Stanmeyer told the media.
Following the encounter, the officer that fired the shots was placed on administrative leave and an investigation into his conduct was launched.
Scores of angry African American protesters have gathered near the scene of the police shooting at Sherman Boulevard in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.