Chicago’s police superintendent called for calm and released body camera footage on Sunday, after autopsy results showed that a black man who was killed by a police officer near his home died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Harith Augustus, 37, was shot on the city’s South Side on Saturday evening, setting off violent skirmishes between protesters and police.

Superintendent Eddie Johnson said on Sunday he had ordered the release of body camera footage sooner than after any other such incident in order to address any misinformation and maintain calm.

He said there was no question Augustus was armed when officers encountered him. Police stopped Augustus, he said, when an officer noticed a gun in a holster peeking out from under the man’s T-shirt. Johnson said it was a semiautomatic handgun, though he was not sure what caliber.

Earlier, patrol chief Fred Waller told reporters Augustus broke free and ran from the officers, who believed “he appeared to be reaching for a weapon” and shot him.

Harith Augustus. Photograph: Harith Augustus/Facebook

On Saturday night, residents clashed with police. Some threw rocks and bottles, some filled with urine. Officers struck back with batons. Four people were arrested and four officers were treated for minor injuries. Two police vehicles were damaged.



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



In a statement, civil rights campaigner the Rev Jesse Jackson called the shooting a tragedy and said it was a blessing Augustus did not bring his daughter with him to work on Saturday, as he was known to do.



Augustus was not a known gang member and did not have a recent arrest history, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. He would not name the officer who shot Augustus. Guglielmi said officers found two magazines of bullets along with a gun at the site of the shooting.

A Chicago police department body camera image shows officers attempting to grab Harith Augustus. Photograph: Handout/Reuters

Chicago has a troubled history of police shootings. The South Side incident was at least the third officer-involved shooting in the city in the last two weeks.



Jackson called for video to be released and referenced footage from 2014 that showed a white officer shooting a black 17-year-old, Laquan McDonald, 16 times. After the release of that video, the city erupted in protest.

The officer, Jason Van Dyke, was charged with murder. McDonald’s death led to the departure of the police chief and reforms meant to prevent future police abuses and to hold officers accountable.

On Sunday, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability asked anyone who may have captured cellphone footage to share it.