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Former Milwaukee Officer Acquitted of Homicide in Fatal OIS

A former Milwaukee police officer was acquitted by a jury Wednesday in the fatal shooting of a man last year. The shooting set off days of protests and riots in the city.

June 21, 2017
1 min to read


A former Milwaukee police officer was acquitted by a jury Wednesday in the fatal shooting of a man last year. The shooting set off days of protests and riots in the city.

Dominique Heaggan-Brown, the former officer, was charged with first-degree reckless homicide late last year for fatally shooting Sylville K. Smith, who fled from a traffic stop in August 2016.

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Jurors reached their verdict on the second day of deliberations, according to the Associated Press, which also reported that some of Smith’s relatives shouted and cursed at the jury’s decision.

On Wednesday, Smith’s estate filed a civil lawsuit against the city of Milwaukee and Heaggan-Brown, reports the Washington Post.

Before he was charged in Smith’s death, Heaggan-Brown was arrested on a sexual assault charge. The Milwaukee Police Department fired him because of those charges, for which he is expected to stand trial in August.

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