Chicago police clash with protesters after officer fatally shoots man

Police clashed with demonstrators in the US city of Chicago during a protest that broke out after an officer fatally shot a man on the city’s South Side.

The protesters, chanting “murderers” and “no justice, no peace,” threw rocks and bottles at officers near the crime scene Saturday evening, according to police.

Several officers were injured in the scuffle that lasted for hours.

“Who do you protect? Who do you serve?” the protesters shouted at officers as tensions boiled over into the night.

Four people were taken into custody as police moved to disperse the crowd, said Anthony Guglielmi, the police department’s chief spokesman.

The shooting happened about 5:30 pm in the 2000 block of East 71st Street after several police officers who were patrolling the area encountered a man “who they thought might be armed,” Fred Waller, chief of the department’s patrol division, told reporters.

The officers tried to question the man, but he became combative and pushed officers away before reaching for a weapon on his waist band, Waller said.

The man, who has not been identified, was shot and killed at some point during the confrontation.

The officer behind the fatal shooting will be placed on desk duty for the next 30 days, standard procedure for the Chicago Police Department, while an investigation will be conducted.

In a statement, the city’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability promised a thorough, objective and unbiased investigation into the shooting.

Chicago, America’s third largest city, has a troubled history of police shootings and police misconduct.

The city was gripped by weeks of protest in 2015 after video was released showing a white police officer shooting black 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times in 2014.

McDonald’s death led to the ouster of the police chief and a series of reforms meant to prevent future incidents and to hold police accountable for the excessive use of force.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), firearms are the cause of death for more than 33,000 people in the United States every year, a number that includes accidental discharge, murder, and suicides.