Police: Man killed appeared to be armed

CHICAGO >> Footage from body cameras and surveillance cameras shows that a black man who was shot and killed by a Chicago police officer was armed with what appeared to be a handgun, authorities said Sunday.

Police described the video and said they would release footage of Saturday’s shooting from officerworn body cameras later Sunday. Police have previously made some video public in an effort to diffuse mounting public tension, and the new release will come hours after a skirmish between angry residents and baton-wielding officers.

Four protesters were arrested in the clash, and some police officers suffered minor injuries from thrown rocks and bottles, some of which were filled with urine. Officers pulled people to the ground and struck them with batons. Two squad cars also were damaged.

Harith Augustus, 37, died of multiple gunshot wounds on the city’s South Side, medical examiners said. He wasn’t a known gang member and had no recent arrest history, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.

A resident of the area, Gloria Rainge, told the Chicago Sun-Times that Augustus, known in the Grand Crossing neighborhood as “Snoop,” worked at a barbershop and had a 5-year-old daughter.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson called the shooting a tragedy and said in a statement that it’s a blessing Augustus didn’t take the girl with him Saturday, as he’s known to do.

Police found a handgun and two magazines of bullets at the shooting site and sent them for testing, Guglielmi said.