Officer in Sherman Park shooting waives hearing on sex assault charges

The Milwaukee police officer who fatally shot Sylville Smith in the Sherman Park neighborhood was bound over for trial Thursday on sexual assault and prostitution charges.

Officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown, 24, is charged with two counts of felony second-degree sexual assault and two counts of prostitution, a misdemeanor. He also is charged with one felony count of possessing or distributing a recording of nudity without consent. The charges are not related to the shooting of Smith, which remains under investigation.

Heaggan-Brown appeared in court Thursday wearing a padded yellow suicide-prevention vest and waived his preliminary hearing. Court Commissioner Barry Phillips bound him over for trial and set his arraignment for Nov. 4. Heaggan-Brown remained in custody on $100,000 bail. His attorney, Michael Steinle, declined to comment after the proceedings.

Police officer in Sherman Park shooting charged with sexual assault

Heaggan-Brown had bragged about doing "whatever (he) wanted without repercussions" while watching coverage of the Sherman Park unrest, according to a criminal complaint. He made those comments to a man he would sexually assault hours later after the man became heavily intoxicated, the complaint says.

Heaggan-Brown is suspended from the Police Department with pay, per state law, and internal affairs investigators have recommended disciplinary charges against him, according to Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn. Heaggan-Brown has the opportunity to respond to those charges before Flynn determines discipline, which could include firing the officer.

Smith was shot on Aug. 13. Police officials have said body camera footage shows Smith was armed with a handgun and turning toward the officer when he was shot. The officer's body camera footage has not been released publicly, and state Attorney General Brad Schimel has said it won't be until Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm makes a charging decision.

Chisholm has given no timetable for when a decision will be released.

COMPLETE COVERAGE: Milwaukee Sherman Park turmoil