Police and protesters violently clashed after a fatal police shooting left one person dead in Chicago on Saturday afternoon.
Chicago police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi tweeted that an officer was watching "a man exhibiting characteristics of an armed person." After they questioned the man — who was identified on Sunday by Chicago police as 37-year-old Harith Augustus — a "confrontation" ensued.
"The man was fatally wounded. A weapon recovered on scene," Guglielmi said of the incident, which took place in South Shore on Chicago's South Side.
A large crowd began to gather near the street where the fatal shooting occurred, and for hours protesters and police faced off in often violent scenes. In a video captured at the scene, Chicago police could be seen swinging their batons at individuals after the crowd shouted and threw bottles at officers.
Guglielmi originally told reporters on Sunday that Augustus did not have a concealed carry weapons permit. However, during a later press conference, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Augustus did have a license to own a gun.
The Chicago Police Department also released body-camera footage of the shooting, citing "the interest of transparency" and a desire to dispel rumors.
Here's the bodycam footage from the male officer who shot and killed Harith Augustus yesterday, released by Chicago Police about half an hour ago. More video is still being reviewed and will eventually be released, including a CPD POD camera that shows the shooting. https://t.co/oMevwCQnIx
The police officer involved in the shooting, who has not been identified, has been on the force for less than two years and was still in his probationary period, Guglielmi said at the press conference.
The situation just severely escalated when Chicago Police officers moved their line forward. Officers hit multiple protestors with batons, and protesters punched officers back. I haven't seen a police shooting scene this tense since Laquon McDonald. https://t.co/LfEnMP0k85
Confrontations began to flare up when police officers tried to push the protesters back. At one point, a video showed, officers ran through the crowd, swinging batons and making arrests. Protesters at the scene chanted, "Who do you serve? Who do you protect?”
"There were glass bottles thrown. Plastic water bottles. Bottles filled with urine were thrown at officers," Guglielmi said at a late-night news conference. He added that four protesters were arrested and four officers were injured in the hours-long confrontation.
The Chicago Police Department didn't immediately return a request for comment from BuzzFeed News.
The situation has gotten as bad as its been a night. Police charged into the parking lot and started hitting people. Two officers smacked my phone out of my hand and shoved me to the ground. Don't know how many arrests, but at least a dozen from what I could see. https://t.co/L7Q5xQyWSe
A reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times said he was thrown to the ground when officers began hitting people in a parking lot where protesters had gathered.
"Police charged into the parking lot and started hitting people. Two officers smacked my phone out of my hand and shoved me to the ground," the reporter, Nader Issa, wrote in a tweet along with a video showing the incident take place.