Amid the violent, racially charged riots that erupted following the shooting of a black man by a police officer in Milwaukee over the weekend, one fact seemed to be lost on the protesters.

The police shooting of Sylville Smith sparked acts of violence as buildings and cars were burned and businesses were looted, protesters chanting “black lives matter” in the Wisconsin city.

A bus shelter ended up in the street… #Milwaukee pic.twitter.com/fhWmN7y3Dx

— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) August 14, 2016

Veteran protest journalist pulls out of Milwaukee, says it’s unsafe for white reporters: https://t.co/M2Yh2OXD0T pic.twitter.com/mGBApPXYcB

— The Hill (@thehill) August 16, 2016

Smith, 23, was armed with a stolen gun and fled from a car Saturday during a traffic stop. He was fatally shot by a police officer after a foot pursuit and refusing to drop his weapon. While protests erupted blaming racism and calling for violence against cops, there was one inescapable fact the rioters were missing. The officer who shot Smith was also black.

In fact, the two men even knew each other from high school, according to Smith’s sister.

“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,” Sherelle Smith said, according to Fox6 News. Milwaukee police confirmed that the two had attended school together.

Video clip via Fox6 News.

The victim’s sister did not agree with the looting and burning that followed her brother’s death. 

“Violence is never the key though, I’m not saying that. I don’t want anyone to be violent,” Smith said.

Though police would not release the officer’s name because threats have been made against him, the fact that he was not white confused some people.

#Milwaukee rioter logic: “A black cop shot an armed black suspect so let’s destroy a black neighborhood to protest white racism”

— Dan O’Donnell (@DanODradio) August 14, 2016

#Milwaukee: When a black cop shoots a black man with a lengthy criminal record, who is armed with a stolen gun – it’s WHITE RACISM.

— Stefan Molyneux (@StefanMolyneux) August 15, 2016

How does an armed black suspect shot by a black cop justify violent protests, arson & looting? #Milwaukee Can’t even fall back on racism!

— Chris D. Lewis (@ChrisLewisLLS) August 15, 2016

The protests, which centered around race as an issue, resulted in extensive damage to property.

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Cleanup underway in Milwaukee after a night of unrest, protest, multiple fires & deadly officer involved shooting pic.twitter.com/MkQpqpSFnt

— Thema Ponton (@thema_ponton) August 14, 2016

#Milwaukee police have left the area…This is a closeup look at the damage of the #BP @WISN12News pic.twitter.com/OTtuwMB6PP

— Ben Hutchison (@BennyHutch) August 14, 2016

Daylight view of the damage after a fire ripped through this O’Reilly Auto Parts on the north side of #MKE pic.twitter.com/YAtd8rRtFQ

— Sheldon Dutes (@SheldonDutes) August 14, 2016

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Frieda Powers

Senior Staff Writer
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.

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