Shots were fired during a second night of protests in Milwaukee over the police shooting of Sylville K. Smith, a black man who was gunned down, authorities say, as he fled a traffic stop Saturday afternoon, CNN reports.
According to the report, during unrest in the early-morning hours of Monday, one person was shot. That individual was taken to the hospital by Milwaukee police in an armored vehicle, the Associated Press reports.
A police officer was also taken to the hospital after he was injured when a thrown rock broke through the windshield of a squad car, Milwaukee police tweeted.
According to the Milwaukee Police Twitter account, debris and other objects were thrown at officers as they tried to disperse "small, disorderly groups." A squad car also was damaged by bricks, rocks and glass bottles, according to the Twitter account.
According to CNN, shots were fired in three different locations, all close to one another, and another car was also set on fire Monday. The damage, however, was not as extensive as what happened during the first night of unrest, which flowed from Saturday night into the early-morning hours of Sunday.
Although Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker declared a state of emergency earlier Sunday, the National Guard was not deployed Monday as the Milwaukee Police Department and other agencies worked to restore order.
The state of emergency followed a volatile night in the city, which saw rising violence in the aftermath of Smith's shooting death Saturday. Multiple squad cars were damaged, and four officers were injured following the unrest. At least six businesses, including a gas station and an auto-parts shop, were destroyed. In total, 17 people were arrested, according to the New York Times.
“I’ve lived here for 30 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this in my life," 53-year-old Dominic Lebourgeois, a self-employed handyman, told the Times.
“I think it’s crazy, it’s ludicrous,” he added. “These are the stores we shop in. I got a feeling they’re going to move instead of rebuild.”
The destruction and violence tapered off in the early-morning hours of Sunday. On Sunday morning, community volunteers turned up to start to clean up the destroyed areas, sweeping and picking up debris.
CNN reports that Sherelle Smith, Sylville Smith's sister, condemned the violence that occurred Saturday night at a candlelight vigil at the site of Sylville Smith's shooting, saying, "Don't bring that violence over here."
Milwaukee's mayor and other authorities say that video taken from police body-camera footage shows Smith armed with a handgun at the time of the shooting. The Times reports that the gun, which was loaded with 23 rounds, had been taken in a burglary in March.
Police Chief Edward Flynn has declined to release the name of the officer involved thus far, but he confirmed that the officer was a 24-year-old black man.
“He happens to be African American, with several years of experience, and he’s a very active officer,” Flynn said. “And we are concerned for his safety.”
Gov. Walker said Sunday that he would like to see the body-cam video of Smith's shooting death released soon, as long as making it public would not impede the investigation, AP reports.
Walker made his comments on WISN-TV Sunday, saying that transparency could help calm the rising tensions. The governor also emphasized that the Wisconsin Department of Justice is conducting an independent investigation into the case.
On Sunday afternoon a peaceful demonstration was held in front of O'Reilly Auto Parts, one of the businesses that were burned out, the Times notes. About 100 people, most of them black, held hands and prayed during the rally organized by Greater New Burg Church.
The group then marched to the District 7 Milwaukee Police Department station, where it held another demonstration with arms held in the air.
According to Deacon Johnny Winston, who led the group, some of the officers, including some standing on the roof of the station, had their hands on their guns as the crowd approached, the Times reports.
“They jumped out of cars with rifles and billy clubs,” Winston said. “We just wanted to get our point across. We just want peace. Why do they always have to react by going to the gun first?”
Regarding the details surrounding the fatal shooting of Smith, according to the Times, police did not say why exactly the car Smith had been in was stopped, saying only that it raised suspicion.
Both individuals in the car immediately ran, officials say. According to the authorities, an officer ordered Smith to drop his weapon before ultimately firing his own service weapon and hitting Smith in the chest and arm.
According to Police Chief Flynn, there is no immediate plan to release the body-camera video to the public.
“This event probably took 20 to 25 seconds,” he said. “I mean, there was virtually no time between the officer unhooking his seat belt, turning on his body camera, getting out of the car, and immediately there was a foot chase.”
Flynn said that the actions of the officer appeared to be "credible and legally protected."