MILWAUKEE – Tension gripped Milwaukee on Monday as officials hoped a late night curfew imposed on teenagers would deter another outbreak of rioting that hit the US Midwestern city the past two nights in response to the police shooting of an armed black man.

Late on Monday afternoon, dozens of police, some in riot gear, erected fencing to cordon off Sherman Park,

the centre of the neighbourhood that was the scene of the weekend shooting and subsequent disturbances. Nearby, about 100 people held a picnic in a grassy area.