Several Chicago Officers Injured in Violent Protest of Police Shooting

Several Chicago police officers were injured when protesters, who took to the streets on over the weekend after a fatal police shooting, threw bottles and rocks at them.

Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi wrote late Saturday night that officers cleared the scene. “Several officers were injured from rocks and thrown bottles,” and in all, four demonstrators were arrested, he said.

The man was shot in the South Shore neighborhood after police officers attempted to question him over the “bulge around his waistband,” suggesting he was armed, according to The Associated Press. Chicago police patrol chief Fred Waller said that the man was combative and ran from the officers.

A fatal shooting by Chicago police yesterday afternoon fueled a violent clash between officers and a large crowd of onlookers who threw bottles and rocks as cops swung back with batons. A peaceful protest followed, ending early this morning https://t.co/rPYzTPmFXf pic.twitter.com/D2BLjhotEM

— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) July 15, 2018

“They thought he appeared to be reaching for a weapon, which he did have a weapon on him, and the officers tragically shot him,” he told AP. He was later pronounced dead.

Police said he had a semi-automatic weapon along with magazines of ammunition, the report said.

Elaborating further, Waller said that the man “started flailing and swinging away, trying to make an escape.” The man then “reached for the gun,” Waller continued, Reuters reported.

UPDATE: Officers assigned to a foot assignment observe a man exhibiting characteristics of an armed person. Officers go to question him when a confrontation ensues and he is shot. The man was fatally wounded. A weapon recovered on scene. pic.twitter.com/8CJXu8m5pa

— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) July 15, 2018

Waller told AP that the man didn’t have a concealed carry permit. “As we know now, he did not,” he explained.

The Chicago Tribune, citing the city’s medical examiner office, identified the man as 37-year-old Harith Augustus.

After his death, five hours of protests ensued in Chicago, the Tribune reported. Additional protests are slated for 5 p.m. on Sunday near Jeffrey Plaza.

In the protest, officials said three or four officers suffered minor injuries, and one patrol car was damaged. Four protesters were arrested, Reuters reported.

The officer who fatally shot the man will be placed on desk duty for 30 days, police said, adding that it’s standard procedure. Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the shooting, according to the Tribune.

On Saturday, Chicago gun violence left two people dead, including a 16-year-old boy, on Saturday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. At least 15 others were wounded across the city.