Milwaukee Officer Who Killed Sylville K. Smith Is Getting Death Threats

The Milwaukee police officer who shot and killed an armed black man who was running from police is receiving death threats on social media.

The officer's identity has not been released by police, but people have circulated photos and the name of the officer they believe fired the fatal shots. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says it has confirmed the officer's identity, which is consistent with the name and photos being circulated.

The purported pictures of the officer have spread through social media along with threatening messages such as, “Now y'all see his face if he's seen anywhere in the city drop him,” the Journal-Sentinel reported.

The death threats follow the shooting of Sylville K. Smith, 23, who ran from police on Saturday during a traffic stop. Smith was carrying a loaded gun stolen from Waukesha with 23 rounds. He was shot twice by a police officer.

“MPD has noted a disturbing national trend where users of social media have identified officers involved in uses of deadly force, threatened the officers and their families, and demonized them,” the Milwaukee Police Department said in a statement Tuesday. “Locally, we are aware of some general threats against our officers. MPD takes these threats seriously and is investigating.”

Smith's death set of several nights of unrest and demonstrations in Milwaukee that included fires, looting and gunshots.

On Monday night, demonstrators engaged in a standoff with police just before 8 p.m. after officers took a man into custody. Within a half hour, the standoff ended, and riot police moved away from the area. Tuesday night was relatively quiet.

Republican nominee Donald Trump met with local police officers Tuesday before heading to West Bend for a rally that was scheduled before Smith's death.

"The violence, riots and destruction that have taken place in Milwaukee are an assault on the right of all citizens to live in security and peace," he told the crowd at the rally. "Law and order must be restored. It must be restored for the sake of all, but most especially the sake of those living in the affected communities.

"The main victims of these riots are law-abiding African-American citizens living in these neighborhoods. It is their jobs, their homes, their schools and communities which will suffer as a result."

Image via Milwaukee Police Department, Flickr