MPD's District 7 station barricaded, officers on roof after shots fired at building Sunday
MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee police on Sunday, August 14th were taking extra steps to protect the community and themselves in the wake of violent unrest Saturday night, August 13th into early Sunday. This, on the heels of a fatal officer-involved shooting Saturday afternoon.
FOX6 News saw officers on the roof of Milwaukee Police Department's District 7 Sunday. Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn said during an afternoon news conference that shots were fired at the building.
The doors and windows were barricaded to protect the officers' safety. Crime tape surrounded part of the property.
MPD District 7
MPD District 7
Earlier Sunday, FOX6 News observed a large group of people -- maybe several dozen or so people walking a couple blocks away on Burleigh. Traffic was subsequently backed up in the area for several minutes.
It's unclear where the group was headed -- but it appeared they were walking peacefully in the general direction of the BP gas station that burned down Saturday night.
What remains after unrest near Sherman & Auer in Milwaukee
The gas station was the scene of one of six fires set by protesters in Milwaukee Saturday night and Sunday. Others happened at Jet Beauty at 35th and Fond du Lac, BMO Harris Bank at 36th and Fond du Lac, O'Reilly Auto Parts at Fond du Lac and Burleigh, MJM Liquor at Fond du Lac and North and a second liquor store at 21st and Hopkins.
Cleanup at O'Reilly store near Fond du Lac and Burleigh
Fire at liquor store near Fond du Lac & Meinecke
During the unrest, Chief Flynn and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said seven squad cars were damaged. Eight rounds of gunfire struck a Bearcat vehicle being utilized by law enforcement.
Four officers were hurt -- three were struck by concrete and one was hit by flying glass.
Seventeen arrests were made overnight, and all of those arrested have prior criminal records.
Shot Spotter, MPD's "shots fired" technology was activated 48 times overnight. Police said a 16-year-old girl was struck by gunfire near 43rd and Burleigh.
Despite all this violence, there were no "use of force" incidents by MPD during the unrest.
Scene near Sherman & Auer in Milwaukee
Barrett said officers were in the area Saturday afternoon around 4:00 a.m. near 44th and Auer "to preserve the safety of the neighborhood" when the officer-involved shooting occurred following a traffic stop.
A pair of police officers stopped two people driving through the north-side neighborhood, police said. That led to a foot chase between the people in the car and police, which ended when an officer shot one of the two -- a 23-year-old man who was armed with a handgun, authorities said.
Officer-involved shooting near 44th & Auer
The police officer "ordered that individual to drop his gun, the individual did not drop his gun," Barrett said during a news conference later in the day. "He had the gun with him and the officer fired several times."
The man, identified by Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn as Sylville Smith, died at the scene. It was unclear Sunday morning whether the second occupant of the car was in police custody. The officer who fired the fatal shots was not injured and will be placed on administrative duty during an investigation.
The officer who fired the deadly shots is 24 years old and has six years of service with the Milwaukee Police Department -- three as an officer.
Chief Flynn said Sunday afternoon that officer is African-American. That officer is not being identified, as Flynn said there are concerns for his safety.
The officer was wearing a body camera at the time of the shooting. Flynn and Barrett said that body camera video is not being released at this point, as the investigation is ongoing. Barrett noted that the officer who fired in this case hadn't been interviewed as of 3:00 p.m. Sunday.
"A young man lost his life (Saturday) afternoon. No matter what, his family has to be hurting. There was a body camera the officer was wearing. The video will be under the jurisdiction of the state of Wisconsin. I have seen a still photo extracted from that video. That photo demonstrates, without question, that (Smith) had a gun in his hand. The police officer didn't know it at the time, but there were 23 rounds in that gun. He had more bullets in his gun than the police officer had in his gun. What that police officer encountered was an individual who had a gun in his hand. I would like to see the video released as soon as possible but I agree -- the officer has not even been interviewed yet, the officer who was involved," Barrett said.
"This happened (Saturday) night, OK? I don`t think there`s anyone in the country who`s released a body-worn camera of an officer-involved shooting in 24 hours or 36 hours. I think Chicago set the modern record with a week," Flynn said.
Flynn said the suspect, Sylville Smith, had a lengthy arrest record with MPD.
On Sunday night, there will be 150 officers deployed as part of MPD's Major Incident Response Team. Flynn said all officers will be hitting the streets in two-person patrol units.
Governor Scott Walker has activated the National Guard -- but Barrett said the National Guard would not be deployed unless Chief Flynn deemed it necessary. 125 members of the National Guard were headed to Milwaukee Sunday.
"I hope calm will remain in this community, and we will not have to deploy the Guard," Barrett said. "This is still a very volatile situation. I'm seeking our community, the city that we love, to be calm (Sunday night) and the rest of the summer. What is that going to take? It's going to take parents making sure that their sons and daughters do not get involved in what happened (Saturday) night. I've been in every neighborhood in this city. I've been to funerals and wakes. We don't know what's going to happen if we have a flare-up like (Saturday) night. If you love your son, if you love your daughter, you love your grandchild, tell them to stay away from the area. Let's calm things down. We has a community owe it to each other, we owe it to everyone, to restore order."