MILWAUKEE—The black man whose killing by police touched off an outbreak of arson and rock-throwing in Milwaukee was shot by a black officer after turning toward him with a gun in his hand, the police chief said Sunday.
The chief and the mayor gave the account as Wisconsin’s governor put the National Guard on standby in case of another round of violence like the one that rocked Milwaukee’s mostly black north side Saturday night.
Police Chief Edward Flynn cautioned that the shooting was still under investigation and authorities were awaiting autopsy results, but it “certainly appeared to be within lawful bounds.”
Mayor Tom Barrett said a still image pulled from the unidentified officer’s body camera clearly showed the gun in Sylville K. Smith’s hand as he fled a traffic stop Saturday.
“I want our community to know that,” Barrett said. But he also called for understanding for Smith’s family.
