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Milwaukee police officer acquitted in Sylville Smith’s murder

On Wednesday a jury acquitted a former Milwaukee police officer in first-degree reckless homicide in the shooting death of Sylville Smith.

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Sylville Smith
Sylville Smith

On Wednesday, a jury acquitted a former Milwaukee police officer in first-degree reckless homicide in the shooting death of Sylville Smith, whose death sparked protests in the city.

Officer acquitted in Sylville Smith’s murder

Jurors found that Dominique Heaggan-Brown was justified when he shot 23-year-old Sylville Smith after a brief foot chase following a traffic stop Aug. 23. Smith had a gun when he ran, but the case depended on whether Smith was a threat when Heaggan-Brown fired the shot that killed him.

Footage of the incident

Body-camera video showed Heaggan-Brown shooting Smith once in the arm as he appeared to be throwing the gun over a fence. The video showed the second shot — 1.69 seconds later — hit Smith in the chest as he lay on the ground.

Defense attorneys arguments

Prosecutors argued Smith was not a threat at the time of the second shot because he had thrown the gun over the fence. Defense attorneys argued Heaggan-Brown had to act quickly to defend himself.

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Officer acquitted Sylville Smith’s murder fired

Heaggan-Brown was fired from the police force in October after being charged with sexual assault in an unrelated case.

Smith’s death brought to the surface long-standing tensions between black Milwaukee residents and police, leading to days of unrest and protest.


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Unheard Voices Magazine is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.

Unheard Voices is an award-winning news magazine that started in 2004 as a local Black newsletter in the Asbury Park, Neptune, and Long Branch, NJ areas to now broaden into a recognized Black online media outlet. They are the recipient of the NAACP Unsung Hero Award and CV Magazine's Innovator Award for Best Social Justice Communications Company.

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