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, 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.

Sylville Smith

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.

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.