MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee police officer who fatally shot a black man in August, sparking several nights of unrest on the city’s north side, has been arrested on five counts of sexual misconduct in an unrelated case.
Police released a statement Thursday saying Officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown was arrested Wednesday after the Milwaukee County prosecutor filed a criminal complaint. Brown is accused of assaulting the male victim just two days after the officer fatally shot 23-year-old Sylville Smith after a chase, sparking several nights of unrest. Police say Smith was holding a gun when he was shot.
The criminal complaint alleges Heaggan-Brown took the victim to a bar late on the night of Aug. 14 where they drank and watched TV as coverage of the protests aired. The victim told police he had trouble remembering everything that happened after they left the bar but that he felt drugged. He said he woke up to find Heaggan-Brown assaulting him the next morning.
Heaggan-Brown then took the victim to a hospital. Later, after seeing Heaggan-Brown in the emergency room, the victim told hospital workers, “He raped me. He raped me,” according to the complaint.
The complaint also alleges that Heaggan-Brown offered two other men money for sex at his home in recent months, and that he assaulted another unconscious person in July, and photographed that victim naked without consent.
Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn says disciplinary proceedings are underway, and called Heaggan-Brown’s alleged conduct “altogether awful.” Heaggan-Brown is suspended and in custody.
The official charges include two counts of second-degree sexual assault, two counts of prostitution and one count of capturing an intimate representation without consent.
Heaggan-Brown has six years of service with the Milwaukee police — three as an officer, officials said. He entered the department as part of an apprentice program that recruits high school students and requires they complete college credits.
With additional reporting by CNN
