Two dead as gunfire erupts at Wisconsin protests over shooting of Black man

'LIKE A VIGILANTE GROUP'

The Kenosha protests have drawn self-styled militias, patrolling the streets with rifles. Usually white men, they have weapons slung over their shoulders or at the ready while standing guard outside businesses to protect them from looters or arsonists.'

Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth told the New York Times and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that one person was shot dead and two were wounded.

"They're like a vigilante group," Beth told the Journal Sentinel, though he said he was unsure if the man at the center of the outburst was linked to such a group.

Beth predicted the main suspect would be caught, telling the newspaper: "I feel very confident we'll have him in a very short time."

Videos showed the suspect running with his rifle and others giving chase, believing he had already shot someone.

The gunman warded off his pursuers by firing at them at close range and the crowd dispersed. Other shots were heard in the background.