Riots Erupt in Milwaukee After Another Fatal Police Shooting (UPDATED)

Josh FeldmanAug 14th, 2016, 8:34 am
 

Riots erupted in Milwaukee last night after yet another police officer-involved fatal shooting. The man, an as-of-yet unidentified 23-year-old, was reportedly armed and was running from the police after a traffic stop when he was shot by an officer.

This is how the Milwaukee Police Department describes what happened:

The incident began when two uniformed MPD officers stopped two suspects in a car in the 3200 block of N. 44th Street at about 3:30 p.m. on August 13. Shortly after stopping the suspects, both occupants fled from the car on foot. The officers pursued the suspects, and during the foot pursuit one officer shot one suspect, armed with a semiautomatic handgun, in a yard also in the 3200 block of N. 44th Street. The suspect died from his injuries at the scene.

The suspect is a 23-year-old Milwaukee man with lengthy arrest record. The handgun he was armed with was taken in a burglary in Waukesha in March of this year. The victim of that burglary reported 500 rounds of ammunition were also stolen with the handgun.

They said yesterday there is an investigation underway and the officer is being placed on administrative duty. There were multiple fatal shootings in Milwaukee on Friday and Saturday, which put many in the community on edge.

Later that night, violence erupted in the city as angry rioters took to the streets.

Gunshots rang out as some protesters were reportedly shooting back at officers:

The Milwaukee Police tweeted out that not only were rioters throwing bricks at officers, but one of them was struck in the head and squad cars were attacked too:

One squad car, a gas station, and other buildings were set on fire by rioters:

There were reportedly three people in the gas station when it was set on fire, but they managed to get out before it spread.

Mayor Tom Barrett held a press conference last night to speak on the shooting earlier that day:

Barrett and Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton made a call for peace, with Barrett saying, “Our police officers are doing everything they can to restore order… If you love your son, if you love your daughter, text them, call them, pull them by their ears, get them home.”

He added that police had been showing “an amazing amount of restraint.”

Multiple reports say that at least three people were arrested by the police.

UPDATE – 5:10 p.m. ET: Mayor Barrett is still calling for order in the community as Milwaukee continues to see unrest from protestors. At a press conference, Barrett pointed to police body cam footage to argue that suspect Sylville Smith did have a gun in his hand when he was shot.

Police chief Edward Flynn also spoke at the presser, where he confirmed Smith’s death, and provided updates on the shooting’s investigation and the damage that took place amid the overnight protests.

CNN also reported that seven police vehicles have also been damaged throughout the mayhem so far.

Governor Scott Walker has called the National Guard into action to address the ongoing riots.

[image via screengrab/WITI]

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Josh Feldman - Senior Editor

Josh Feldman is a Senior Editor at Mediaite. Email him here: josh@mediaite.com Follow him on Twitter: @feldmaniac