A jury has found former Milwaukee Police Department officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown not guilty in the shooting death of Sylville Smith last August.
Heaggan-Brown was charged with First Degree Reckless Homicide for firing the shot that killed Smith on August 13, 2016.
Officers chased Smith on foot after he ran from a traffic stop near 44th and Auer. Heaggan-Brown shot first, firing a bullet at Smith and striking him in the arm.
The second and fatal shot was fired after Smith tossed his gun and dropped to the ground. It happened less than two seconds after the first.
The jury was forced to leave the courtroom after the verdict was read due to a disruption in the courtroom.
The shooting sparked riots that lasted days in Milwaukee in August of 2016. Several nights of violence in the Sherman Park neighborhood included vandalism and arson that caused millions of dollars in damage.
The key piece of evidence in the case was never-before-released police body camera video, both from Heaggan-Brown and another officer on the scene.
Heaggan-Brown chose not to testify in the trial.
