Milwaukee police officer threatened online after fatal shooting of Sylville Smith

Aug 17, 2016

According to the Chicago Tribune, the Milwaukee officer who was identified on social media as the officer involved in the fatal shooting of Sylville Smith has been threatened online.

The name of the officer involved was not officially released, but posts on social media identified him as a 24-year-old patrolman, and pictures were included on several posts. The officer reportedly attended high school with Smith years prior.

On Tuesday, the police department acknowledged the “disturbing national trend” of officers and their families being threatened in the wake of incidents like the one that occurred over the weekend, sparking outrage and violence as members of the community demand answers about Smith’s death.

Smith’s sister Sherelle made a plea to the community to stop the violence in their neighborhoods and make a statement elsewhere.

“Burning down sh*t ain’t gonna help nothing,” she said. “You’re burning down sh*t we need in our community,” Sherelle said. “Take that sh*t to the suburbs. Burn that sh*t down. We need our sh*t.”

In an interview with FOX 6, Smith echoed the message. “If we don’t have answers, we’re gonna find them and we’re gonna find them our way. We’re not find them y’all way no more. We’re not gonna compromise no more,” Smith said.

Despite her outrage, Smith also discussed desegregation in the wake of her brother’s death.

“I invite any color, any gender, any race, any age to come have fun with us,” Smith told FOX6. “Come to our parades or come support our barbecues or our rallies or our stop the violence things, you know. It seems like we’re so segregated. And it’s for nothing. It’s for nothing,” Smith said.