Search Results for: Dominique Heaggan-Brown

The Milwaukee Police Department has terminated Police Officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown’s employment. The termination, which was effective Monday, is the result of a Milwaukee Police Department Internal Affairs investigation related to the criminal complaint filed against him on Thursday, October 20th, according to information posted at a department website.

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.”

Police arrested Heaggan-Brown following claims that he sexually assaulted a victim after a night of drinking in a bar. The alleged incident happened on August 14th – amid violent protests in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood over the officer-involved shooting death of 23-year-old Sylville Smith.

Heaggan-Brown has been identified as the officer who shot Smith. The case is still under review by the Milwaukee County district attorney.

The family of Milwaukee police shooting victim Sylville Smith has filed a civil wrongful death suit against the city and fired officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown.

Attorney David Owens announced it Wednesday, just minutes after a jury cleared Heaggan-Brown of criminal reckless homicide in the shooting of Smith last August that spurred two nights of violence in Milwaukee.

AUDIO: attorney David Owens

The 25-year-old Heaggan-Brown still faces charges for the sexual assault of a man one day after the shooting. The civil suit says he should never have been hired as an officer due to that and other incidents like speeding and marijuana possession since he became a police aide in 2010 and a full fledged officer in 2015.

“The truth of the matter is, Officer Heaggan-Brown shouldn’t have been on the force at all, he shouldn’t have been on the street that night,” Owens said, adding that Heaggan-Brown had been the subject of numerous use of force complaints.

Owens represented the family of Tony Robinson, a 19-year-old Madison man fatally shot by a police officer in 2015. The city of Madison settled with his family earlier this year for a record $3.35 million.

In the Smith shooting, Heaggan-Brown claimed self defense while prosecutors say Smith became unarmed between two gunshots fired within two seconds of each other.

Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood was calm Wednesday night after the jury acquitted the former officer. The shooting last summer set off two nights of rioting, and neighbors said they’d had enough upheaval.

Dominique Heaggan-Brown

A day after a Milwaukee police officer was arrested on sexual assault charges, Chief Ed Flynn called the situation surrounding the case “altogether awful.”

Police arrested 24-year-old Dominique Heaggan-Brown Wednesday, following claims that he sexually assaulted a victim after a night of drinking in a bar. The alleged incident happened on August 14th – amid violent protests in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood over the officer-involved shooting death of 23-year-old Sylville Smith.

Heaggan-Brown has been identified as the officer who shot Smith. The case is still under review by the Milwaukee County district attorney. Flynn said the charges against Heaggan-Brown and Smith’s death do not appear to be connected.

An investigation into the August assault led police to another victim who claimed Heaggan-Brown assaulted them, along with two people who said he paid them for sex.

“This is extraordinarily disappointing,” Flynn said during a Thursday afternoon news conference. “These are grave charges, these are charges that go to the heart of our code of conduct, of our oath to protect and serve.”

Heaggan-Brown has been suspended with pay, as required under state law. Flynn said an internal investigation is also underway.
In a statement, Milwaukee Police Association President Mike Crivello said the union condemns all criminal behavior, and that the actions of one person do not reflect on the overwhelming majority of good officers.