Protests Erupt In Chicago As Another Black Man Is Killed By Police

The man has been identified as Harith “Snoop” Augustus and described as a popular barber and proud father who worked in the South Shore community.

According to police, officers were on foot when they saw “a man exhibiting characteristics of an armed person.” Subsequently, they attempted to question him and a “confrontation” ensued. That’s when the officers reportedly opened fire. Augustus was taken to Jackson Park Hospital, where he passed away not long after.

UPDATE: Officers assigned to a foot assignment observe a man exhibiting characteristics of an armed person. Officers go to question him when a confrontation ensues and he is shot. The man was fatally wounded. A weapon recovered on scene. pic.twitter.com/8CJXu8m5pa

— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) July 15, 2018

Just minutes after the fatal shooting, protesters began gathering at the site of the incident and chanted, “Who do you serve? Who do you protect?” Gloria Rainge says Snoop was her barber for five years and was usually in the neighborhood with his five-year-old daughter. She described him as “cool, laid back, and very intelligent.”

As the protests grew, so did the police presence. By Saturday evening (July 14), 80 to 100 officers were on the scene. Four demonstrators were arrested late Saturday night, according to Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

Chicago has long been a hotbed for police violence against its Black residents. According to USA Today, a 2017 Justice Department review found that officers of the city used force nearly 10 time more in incidents involving Black suspects than against white suspects.

See some of what went down during the Chicago protests below.

The Chicago police murdered Harith Augustus today. He wasn’t the first in this month alone. This is how the CPD treats a justifiably angered community. The police are the gang. #abolishpolice #BlackLivesMatter #Fuck12 pic.twitter.com/dfJEVvZgxx

— T. St. Hill (@Nomorebacon00_1) July 15, 2018

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. pic.twitter.com/LfEnMP0k85

— Nader Issa (@NaderDIssa) July 15, 2018

Here's the rest of the escalation, including multiple Chicago Police officers on top of one man, hitting him, and then dragging another man. This is also the start of where I get shoved to the ground. That video is coming next. pic.twitter.com/AJ7t85nEHP

— Nader Issa (@NaderDIssa) July 15, 2018