MILWAUKEE (AP) — A prosecutor has charged a former Milwaukee police officer in a fatal shooting of a black man that sparked two nights of riots.
District Attorney John Chisholm charged Dominique Heaggan-Brown with first-degree reckless homicide. Chisholm didn’t announce the charge, but it appeared in online court records that also showed Heaggan-Brown made an initial court appearance Thursday.
Heaggan-Brown, who is also black, shot 23-year-old Sylville Smith following a traffic stop on Aug. 13. Police Chief Ed Flynn has said Heaggan-Brown chased Smith after he fled on foot.
Flynn says Heaggan-Brown fired after Smith turned around with a gun in his hand and ignored commands to drop the weapon.
Heaggan-Brown was fired from the police department in October, after he was charged with sexual assault in an unrelated case.
