Milwaukee riots: Sylville Smith's sister tells rioters to 'burn down the suburbs'

Sherelle Smith urges protesters to stop attacking their own community

The sister of a man shot dead by a police officer in Milwaukee has urged rioters to “burn the suburbs down”.

Sylville Smith was killed on Saturday after fleeing from a traffic stop while armed.

His death led to the latest eruption of violence between protesters and police after a spate of deaths of black men at the hands of officers across the US over the summer.

One person was shot, several police officers were injured and several local businesses - including a petrol station - were set alight during two nights of unrest.

Speaking at the burnt out petrol station on Sunday evening, Smith’s sister Sherelle urged protesters to stop torching their own community and focus on attacking the wealthier suburbs.

In footage obtained by the Daily Mail she said: “Burning down s*** ain't gonna help nothing. You're burning down s*** we need in our community.

“Take that s*** to the suburbs. Burn that s*** down.”

Milwaukee defended the actions of the police officer saying Smith had an extensive criminal record and was fleeing the scene with a gun.

Sylville Smith died after fleeing from a traffic stop while armed (AP)

But his grandfather, William Brookins, said Smith suffered from cognitive and mental health problems and carried a gun because he had been shot once before.

He said: "In this city, there's a lot of killings going on in the street.

"He was afraid for his life. He was concerned about his safety and surviving."

Smith had several run-ins with the law dating to 2013, including speeding, driving without insurance, driving with a suspended license and having open alcohol in a vehicle.

He was also arrested for allegedly stealing $1,600 (£1,230) worth of DVDs from a local Wal-Mart, carrying a concealed weapon without a permit and last year was charged with reckless endangerment after opening fire at a man in a fight over a woman.

The officer, who is also black, has not been named due to death threats but in an interview with the Fox 6 news channel, Ms Smith revealed he and her brother had gone to high school together.

It is not known how well they knew each other.

She suggested he had been killed because of “jealousy”.

A burning petrol station in Milwaukee as over 100 people take to the streets to protest another police killing (AP)

She said: "If my brother did have his gun in his hand, why he didn't shoot back? If he's gonna go out, why not go out with a fight? Why not go out with a big bang? Why? Was it jealousy?

"The boy knew my brother personally from high school. They knew each other. You knew exactly how my brother was and you shot and killed him".

Her comments are in contrast to Smith’s other sister Kimberly Neal who called for calm.

She said: “At the end of the day, acting out ain’t gonna solve it. We tired of it. We tired.”

Additional reporting by agencies