Governor activates National Guard in Milwaukee

Category: News

460x (13)
The Latest on violence in Milwaukee following the shooting of a man by police (all times local):

1 p.m.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has activated the state’s National Guard to help law enforcement in Milwaukee if violence there persists.

At least four businesses were burned and one police officer was hurt Saturday night in violence that broke out a few hours after an officer shot a man who fled a traffic stop and who police said had a handgun.

by TaboolaMore from AP
3 killed, thousands rescued in southeast Louisiana floods
Somalis in Maine strike back after Trump’s comments at rally
Walker says he took the step after receiving a request from Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke and talking with Mayor Tom Barrett and the Guard’s leader. His announcement says the Guard will be in position to help “upon request.”

Walker praised citizens who showed up Sunday to clean up the north-side neighborhood where the violence took place. He called for “continued peace and prayer.”

___

11:45 a.m.

The White House says President Barack Obama has been briefed on the outbreak of violence in a predominantly black neighborhood in Milwaukee after a fatal, officer-involved shooting.

Spokeswoman Jen Friedman says Obama was updated Sunday by senior adviser Valerie Jarrett. Jarrett briefed the president after speaking with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and offering federal support for local authorities. Friedman says Obama asked to be alerted to any new developments.

Obama is opening a second week of vacation on the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard.

Violence broke out on the north side of Milwaukee late Saturday after police shot and killed a man they say fled a traffic stop and was armed with a handgun.

___

11:35 a.m.

The Milwaukee County sheriff is asking for help from the National Guard after violence broke out in Milwaukee in response to a police shooting.

Sheriff David Clarke said Sunday that a repeat of the previous night’s violence on the city’s north side cannot be allowed. He says he has consulted with Gov. Scott Walker.

A spokesman for Walker hasn’t responded to an email seeking comment. Police and city leaders have said they have the resources to handle the situation.

The violence erupted a few hours after a police officer shot and killed a man who police said was fleeing from a traffic stop and was armed with a handgun. The races of the man and the officer haven’t been released.

___

9:30 a.m.

A Milwaukee pastor says the lack of jobs and economic opportunities for black residents is to blame for violent protests that rocked the city following a police shooting.

Rev. Richard Bush was surveying a burned-out gas station on Milwaukee’s predominantly black north side Sunday morning. That was the site of hours of unrest late Saturday after an officer killed a man who police say fled a traffic stop while armed. Protesters set fire to at least three other businesses.

Bush leads the nearby Pentecostal Church of God in Christ. He says the city must put more money into the north side because residents there “don’t have nothing to do but destroy stuff.”

___

9:15 a.m.

The owner of a gas station has blamed outsiders for the violence that destroyed his business on Milwaukee’s north side Saturday night following a police-involved shooting.

Pakhar Singh’s BP station was set afire as protesters skirmished with police, and firefighters could not approach it because of gunshots.

Singh said Sunday that the neighborhood is usually peaceful, and he believes the trouble was caused by outsiders. He says he’s owned stations in the area for 36 years and has never had trouble. He isn’t sure he’ll rebuild.

The unrest broke out hours after an officer shot a man who police say fled a traffic stop. Police say the man was armed, but it wasn’t clear if he pointed a gun at or shot at the officer. The races of the man and officer haven’t been released.

___

8:55 a.m.

Community volunteers have turned out to clean up after violent protests ransacked a north Milwaukee neighborhood following a police shooting.

Two to three dozen people are sweeping and picking up debris Sunday morning around a BP gas station that was burned and largely destroyed near the intersection at the center of the violence Saturday night.

Darlene Rose, who is 31, says she understands the anger that sparked the protests but that violence won’t solve anything.

The unrest broke out hours after an officer shot a man who police say fled a traffic stop. Police say the man was armed, but it wasn’t clear if he pointed a gun at or shot at the officer. The races of the man and officer haven’t been released.

___

2:37 a.m.

Simmering anger over the fatal shooting of a man by police erupted in violence on Milwaukee’s predominantly black north side, with protesters skirmishing with officers over several hours and setting fire to at least four businesses in an outburst the mayor says was fed by social media.

The uprising that broke out Saturday evening didn’t subside until after midnight, after city leaders called for calm. Police sat three people were arrested, and one officer was hurt by a brick thrown into a squad car.

The triggering event came Saturday afternoon, when a man fleeing police after a traffic stop was shot and killed. Police said the man was armed. Authorities say the man was shot in the chest and arm.

Neither his race nor the officer’s was immediately released, nor were they identified.

Discuss this story on Twitter or Facebook

Related Articles