"Chasing a career:" FOX6 learns more about background of former Officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown



MILWAUKEE -- Former Milwaukee Police Officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown had only been an officer for three years before he shot and killed Sylville Smith on August 13th near 44th and Auer. The FOX6 Investigators have learned more about the officer's background.

Dominique Heaggan-Brown



Community activists across the country say urban police departments should reflect the communities they serve.

Heaggan-Brown didn't just reflect Milwaukee's inner city -- he grew up there.

But an old Twitter account discovered by FOX6 News lays bare a great irony. The young officer chose a career in law enforcement to escape the very kind of crime he's now charged with committing.

He's a young, heavily tattooed black male, who has bragged about getting wasted and blowing money at strip clubs and casinos. He was also a Milwaukee police officer. 



24-year-old Heaggan-Brown was first appointed to the Milwaukee Police Department as a police aide in 2010, and became a probationary police officer in 2013.

His probationary period was extended for 97 days in 2014, though it's not clear why. 



A Twitter account he used from 2012 to 2014 shows the aspiring cop felt he had "a lot to prove." That "the dope game" wasn't for him. Instead he was "chasing a career and a degree." 



But during his time as a police aide, he also tweeted about "thug love," getting high and having sex with someone else's girlfriend.

In January of 2013, Heaggan-Brown wrote:


"If your not comfortable with a pistol, its not worth having it, so use it play with err chance u get so when its time u ready."


The next month, he tweeted, "karma comes quicker for a on the other side of the gun."

After shooting Sylville Smith in August, Heaggan-Brown was placed on administrative duty. In October, prosecutors charged him with sexual assault and prostitution in a case unrelated to the shooting. After that, police fired him.

He was officially terminated from MPD on October 31st.

Dominique Heaggan-Brown



On Thursday, December 15th, the Milwaukee County district attorney charged the former officer with first-degree reckless homicide for the Smith shooting.

Sylville Smith