Law enforcement in riot gear deployed tear gas against demonstrators in Kenosha, Wisconsin, late Monday, video on social media showed, as protesters defied curfew for a second night in the wake of a police shooting of a Black man.
While the protests began peacefully, several buildings and cars were burning late on Monday, NBC affiliate WTMJ reported. It was not clear how or when they started. Several parked vehicles not far from the courthouse were in flames about 11 p.m., according to video and an NBC crew at the scene.
Some in the crowd also appeared to be looting shops, according to a video shared on social media and verified by NBC News. A mattress store was among the shops broken into, the video showed. The fronts of banks and offices were also smashed.
The extent of the damage remained unclear overnight but an assessment would be made later Tuesday morning, Kenosha Fire Chief Charles Leipzig told NBC News in an email.
Anger surged followed the shooting by police of Jacob Blake, 29, on Sunday — just three months after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.
Earlier on Monday, Gov. Tony Evers authorized the National Guard to help local law enforcement respond to the protests after dump trucks were set on fire.
Evers said in a statement that the troops would help protect critical infrastructure and ensure that “Kenoshians are able to assemble safely.”
