Clashes roil chicago neighborhood
Fatal shooting of black man by police prompted confrontations
CHICAGO— A predominantly white neighborhood on Chicago’s southwest side has been rocked by confrontations between protesters and police supporters for the second time since the weekend’s fatal shooting of a black man by police.
Joshua Beal, 25, of Indianapolis, was fatally shot Saturday during a confrontation over whether a funeral caravan was blocking a fire lane.
Tuesday night’s clashes followed a court hearing at which the dead man’s brother, Michael Beal, was ordered held on charges of felony aggravated battery to a police officer and attempting to disarm a police officer. His bond was set at $500,000, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Authorities said Michael Beal, 28, tackled an off-duty police officer seconds after the shooting, put him in a headlock and threatened to kill him. His attorney, Barry Spector, said his client didn’t know the man was an off-duty officer.
The shooting and subsequent demonstrations have roiled the mostly white Mount Greenwood neighborhood, which is home to many police, fire and city workers.
Police supporters and Beal advocates shouted slurs at each other Tuesday, the newspaper reported. Tuesday’s heated confrontation came two days after a similar protest in which police supporters used slurs and held signs including one reading: “You are animals, #gohome.”