Milwaukee To Enforce Earlier Teen Curfew Following Protests

Chief Flynn said that his force had “policed an very bad amount of demonstrations these past two years” and that “virtually all of them were without arrests or injuries”.

Police rush a man into a vehicle after getting pelted by rocks in Milwaukee, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016. Milwaukee police tweeted late Sunday that the National Guard had not been deployed. There were 30 Shot Spotter activations between 8:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m.in the area from Center to Keefe and 51st to 20th St. Flynn indicated three police squads were damaged.

The clampdown follows two nights of violent unrest in protest following the fatal shooting of a black man by police on the city’s north side. Smith was hit in the chest and arm, Flynn said. A 10 p.m. curfew for those under the age of 18 appeared to be honored with the aid of community leaders and parents, Milwaukee Mayer Tom Barrett said.

After watching the officer’s body camera footage, Flynn said the entire episode took about 25 seconds, from the start of the traffic stop until shots were fired.

At the same news conference, Mayor Tom Barrett said a still image pulled from the footage clearly showed a gun in 23-year-old Sylville K. Smith’s hand as he fled a traffic stop Saturday. McLaughlin said. “He needs to stay on the job”.

David Klinger, a University of Missouri-St. Police said an injured officer was taken to a hospital after a rock broke the windshield of a squad vehicle. The violence continued, to a lesser degree, on Sunday night.

Police have said officers used an armored vehicle to retrieve the injured man and take him to a hospital.

Protesters earlier threw rocks and other objects at officers and police say shots were fired in a handful of locations. Police haven’t said who shot the man, but that they continue to look for suspects. “Once you put on the uniform, you’re blue, and blue sees black as bad”. There were 17 arrests made on Saturday night, police said. The shooting “was like a spark in a powder keg. It doesn’t matter to them if what the authorities are saying is true”.

The problems began Saturday afternoon when police stopped a rental auto that was driving suspiciously, Flynn said. Sylville Smith bolted from the auto with a gun, leading an officer on a short foot chase before the officer shot the 23-year-old.

The violence erupted later that evening.

Barrett announced a new curfew will be enforced. But he also called for understanding for Smith’s family. Some people interviewed on the north side had speculated that Smith was shot in the back.

The fatal shooting Saturday of a black man by a black policeman is under investigation by the state.

After Saturday’s violence, Gov. Scott Walker (R) said Sunday he activated the Wisconsin National Guard to be ready to help if called upon by law enforcement officials in Milwaukee. “But still people took to the streets, in the face of cops flooding the neighborhood armed to the teeth and even shooting at people to try to force them to disperse”, Dix wrote. A lot of them eventually dispersed. “Those of you who were out there saw many instances people preaching on street corners, counseling small groups of individuals, a number of individuals spoke at the vigil last night which could have easily been an excuse for some folks to incite”. Flynn said there were a total of 14 arrests overnight. An 18-year-old man was shot and wounded Sunday night. “In some ways we become the focal point”, Flynn said. Those protests dwindled in the ensuing weeks.

A police spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the condition of the person who was shot Sunday night.

DeShawn Corprue, 31, who lives behind the burned-out BP station, said nothing that police released about Smith’s death would have stopped the weekend’s unrest.

Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn said at a press conference earlier Sunday that Smith turned toward an officer with a gun in his hand.

“There is ample opportunity for second-guessing, I’m sure”, Flynn said.