City Attorney OKs $4 Million Settlement with Sylville Smith Family
Smith was killed by a Milwaukee Police Office in 2016, igniting unrest in Sherman Park.
The City of Milwaukee is moving toward approval of a $4 million settlement to the family of Sylville Smith, the 23-year-old shot by former Milwaukee Police Department officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown in 2016.
City attorney Tearman Spencer filed paperwork with the city to authorize that amount Oct. 12.
Smith was shot Aug. 13, 2016 after Milwaukee police officers pulled up to a car parked too far from the curb near Sherman Park in Milwaukee. Police suspected the car of being involved in a drug deal.
The shooting sparked several nights of unrest on Milwaukee’s north side.
Smith’s family filed a lawsuit in June 2017 alleging Heaggan-Brown tried to detain Smith without probable cause, and shot him while he was fleeing. MPD fired Heaggan-Brown two months after the 2016 shooting, saying he violated the department’s code of conduct after he was brought up on unrelated sexual assault charges.
Heaggan-Brown was charged with first-degree reckless homicide over Smith’s death, but was found not guilty in 2017.
The proposed settlement follows unsuccessful mediation between the city and Smith’s family over the lawsuit, which was slated to go to trial in December. The $4 million plan will go before the city’s Finance and Personnel and Judiciary and Legislative Committees. The full Common Council would then need to approve borrowing the money to pay the settlement.
City Of Milwaukee Could Reach $4M Settlement With Family Of Sylville Smith was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
More about the Sherman Park Unrest
- City Attorney OKs $4 Million Settlement with Sylville Smith Family - Madeline Fox - Oct 23rd, 2020
- Sherman Park Still “Warm and Welcoming” - Andrea Waxman - Aug 16th, 2019
- Police-Community Relations Better in Sherman Park? - Edgar Mendez - Aug 14th, 2019
- Three Years Later, Sherman Park Rising? - Allison Dikanovic - Aug 13th, 2019
- Eyes on Milwaukee: A Sherman Park Success Story - Jeramey Jannene - Jul 23rd, 2019
- Eyes on Milwaukee: Incubator Kitchen Planned for Sherman Park - Jeramey Jannene - Jul 1st, 2019
- Questions Surround Vaun Mayes’ Arrest - Isiah Holmes - Feb 6th, 2019
- Police Relations in Sherman Park Still An Issue - Areonna Dowdy - Jan 7th, 2019
- Can Sherman Park Attract More Business? - Ximena Conde - Sep 13th, 2018
- Vaun Mayes Released Pending Trial - Chuck Quirmbach - Jul 9th, 2018
Read more about Sherman Park Unrest here