National Guard Deployed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Amid Unrest Over Fatal Police Shooting

(NewYorkTimes) - Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin activated the Wisconsin National Guard on Sunday to assist local law enforcement following a night of violence in Milwaukee that began hours after a police officer fatally shot a fleeing armed man there.

Angry crowds confronted the police in Milwaukee on Saturday night, setting fires and throwing rocks following the shooting that afternoon. One fire, at a gas station in the Sherman Park neighborhood, burned unattended while gunshots kept firefighters from extinguishing it. Other fires burned at an auto-parts store, a beauty supply company and a bank branch.

One police officer was hospitalized with a head injury after a brick was thrown through the window of his patrol car, Mayor Tom Barrett said at a news conference early Sunday morning. The police reported just before 3:30 a.m. that order was being restored to the area.

In a statement, Governor Walker praised volunteer clean-up efforts on Sunday morning.

“This act of selfless caring sets a powerful example for Milwaukee’s youth and the entire community,” he said. “I join Milwaukee’s leaders and citizens in calling for continued peace and prayer.”

Mr. Walker noted that, under Wisconsin law, the shooting was being examined by an independent investigation and asked that people give law enforcement “the respect they deserve for working so hard to keep us safe.”

Mr. Walker said he decided to make the National Guard available to provide assistance upon request after consulting with the Milwaukee mayor and Milwaukee County sheriff.

Three people were arrested on unspecified charges during the mayhem, in which crowds of at least 200 people flooded the streets, said Assistant Chief James Harpole of the Milwaukee police.

The shooting and protests come as communities across the nation scrutinize what many see as excessive use of force by law enforcement officers, particularly against black people. Protests broke out across the country last year after a police officer in Madison, Wis., fatally shot an unarmed biracial man.

The race and identity of the officer and the man shot and killed on Saturday were not immediately released.

Many of the protesters were black, and Alderman Khalif J. Rainey expressed the frustration within the community. “The black people of Milwaukee are tired,” he said. “They’re tired of living under this oppression.

“What has happened may not have been right,” Mr. Rainey said, “I’m not justifying that, but nobody can deny that there are racial problems here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that have to be rectified, because if you don’t, you’re one day away.”