Black man shot by police in Milwaukee identified as Syville K. Smith

The black man whose killing by police touched off rioting in Milwaukee was shot by a black officer after turning toward him with a gun in his hand, the police chief said Sunday.

Wisconsin's governor, meanwhile, put the National Guard on standby in case of another outbreak of the arson and rock-throwing that erupted on Milwaukee's mostly black north side Saturday night that left six businesses burned and injured several people.

• Fatal police shooting leads to fiery protests in Milwaukee

Police Chief Edward Flynn cautioned that the shooting was still under investigation and authorities were awaiting autopsy results, but based on the silent video from the unidentified officer's body camera, he "certainly appeared to be within lawful bounds."

At the same news conference, Mayor Tom Barrett said a still image pulled from the footage clearly showed the gun in 23-year-old 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.

"A young man lost his life yesterday afternoon," the mayor said. "And no matter what the circumstances are, his family has to be hurting."

'Behaving suspiciously'

Flynn refused to identify the officer who shot Smith but said he is black. The police chief said he wasn't sure what prompted the stop, but described Smith's car as "behaving suspiciously."

After watching the officer's body camera footage, Flynn said the entire episode took about 25 seconds, from the start of the traffic stop until shots were fired. He said Smith ran "a few dozen feet" and turned toward the officer while holding a gun.

"It was in his hand. He was raising up with it," the chief said. He said it was unclear how many rounds the officer fired.

Flynn also said Smith had a "lengthy arrest record."Online court records showed a range of charges against Smith, many of them misdemeanors.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Smith was also charged in a shooting and was later charged with pressuring the victim to withdraw testimony that identified Smith as the gunman. The charges were dropped, but it was not immediately clear why.

The 24-year-old officer who shot the man has been placed on administrative duty. The officer has been with the Milwaukee department six years, three as an officer.

Six businesses were burned in the unrest that spilled past midnight Sunday. Seventeen people were arrested, Flynn said, and four officers were hurt, none seriously.

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

Walker says he took the step after receiving a request from Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke and talking with Barrettand the National 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-sideneighbourhoodwhere the violence took place. He called for "continued peace and prayer."

'This is a warning cry'

The uprising didn't subside until after midnight, afterBarrettand other city leaders appeared at a news conference to plead for calm. Police said three people were arrested, and one officer was hurt by a brick thrown into a squad car.

Saturday's protesters were largely black, and AldermanKhalifRainey who represents the district said early Sunday morning that the city's black residents are "tired of living under this oppression."

"This entire community has sat back and witnessed how Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has become the worst place to live for African-Americans in the entire country,"Raineysaid at the end of a news conference at whichBarrettpleaded for calm.

"Now this is a warning cry. Where do we go from here? Where do we go as a community from here?"

The anger at shootings by Milwaukee police is not new, and comes as tension between black communities and law enforcement has ramped up across the nation, resulting in protests and the recent killings of officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Dallas.

Milwaukee was beset by protests and calls for police reform after an officer fatally shotDontreHamilton, a mentally ill black man, in 2014. In December, the Justice Department announced it would work with Milwaukee police on reforms. Flynn had asked for what's known as a collaborative reform process after the federal government said it wouldn't pursue criminal civil rights charges against the officer.

Critics said the department should have submitted to a patterns and practices review, as in Ferguson, Mo., after the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black, by a white police officer in 2014.

The state is investigating the latest shooting in Milwaukee.

The mayor said the uprising was driven by social media messages instructing people to congregate in the area.

Plea for calm

"We have to have calm,"Barrettsaid at the news conference Saturday. "There are a lot of really good people who live in this neighbourhood."

As many as 100 protesters surgedagainst a line of 20 to 30 officers between 8 and 9 p.m. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that officers got in their cars to leave at one point and some in the crowd started smashing a squad car's windows. Another police car was set on fire.

Around 11 p.m., police with shields and helmets moved slowly into the intersection, telling a crowd of about 50 people to disperse. Some threw rocks and other debris at police, who held up their shields.

The businesses that burned included a BMO Harris bank branch, a BP gas station, anO'ReillyAuto Parts store and a beauty supply store. Firefighters held back from the gas station blaze because of gunshots.

The shooting occurred just a few blocks from two fatal shootings Friday and Saturday, part of a violent stretch in the city in which five people died in shootings during a nine-hour stretch.