Milwaukee Police Department Fires Officer Who Shot Sylville Smith After Sexual Assault Charge

The Milwaukee Police Department fired an officer who fatally shot a black man in August after an investigation into an unrelated sexual assault charge.

The termination, effective Monday, comes after a Milwaukee Police Department Internal Affairs investigation related to a criminal complaint filed against Dominique Heaggan-Brown, who was arrested on Wednesday. Police said last week a male “victim reported to the Milwaukee Police he had been sexually assaulted by Heaggan-Brown while off-duty.”

“The investigation found Heaggan-Brown to be in violation of the Milwaukee Police Code of Conduct, Core Value- Integrity that states “Department members shall obey local ordinances and state and federal laws, whether on or off-duty” and “Whether on or off duty, department members shall not behave in such a way that a reasonable person would expect that discredit could be brought upon the department, or that it would create the appearance of impropriety or corruptive behavior,” Milwaukee Police said in a statement.

The complaint in the case came in on Aug. 15, two days after Heaggan-Brown shot Sylville Smith, who police said was holding a gun and fleeing a traffic stop. The fatal shooting sparked violent protests in the city.