MILWAUKEE- More than four years after the deadly shooting of Sylville Smith on Milwaukee’s north side, Smith’s family and the City of Milwaukee appear close to a resolution over his death.
Smith was shot and killed on August 13th, 2016, by former Milwaukee Police Officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown. Officer body cam from the incident shows police chasing Smith into a gangway near North 44th Street and West Auer Avenue. Smith, armed with a gun at the time, attempted to throw it over a fence when he was shot once in the arm. After falling down, Smith was shot again in the chest by Heaggan-Brown.
The $4,000,000 settlement is one of the largest ever for the Milwaukee Police Department. In 2017 the Milwaukee Common Council authorized a $2.3 million settlement with the family of Dontre Hamilton, who was killed by police at Milwaukee’s Red Arrow Park in 2014.
Smith’s death sparked days of violent protests in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood.
Heaggan-Brown was cleared of any wrongdoing for shooting Smith but was later arrested and charged with sexual assault. He eventually pleaded no contest to one count of false imprisonment while the assault charges were dropped. He was released from prison in February of this year.
The Common Council’s Judiciary and Legislative Committee will consider the payout during a meeting today (Monday, October 26th), before the entire council weighs in on the settlement next month.