Officer who killed man faces sex count

MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee police officer who fatally shot a black man in August, sparking several nights of unrest, has been charged with sexually assaulting a man the night after the shooting, after they watched coverage of the riots on television at a bar, authorities said Thursday.

Officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown, 24, was arrested Wednesday. The alleged victim, unidentified in a criminal complaint, told police on Aug. 15 that Heaggan-Brown had sexually assaulted him while off duty.

Heaggan-Brown fatally shot 23-year-old Sylville Smith on Aug. 13. Police said Smith was holding a gun when he was shot after a brief chase.

Police said Heaggan-Brown is suspended and is in custody and they have launched an internal investigation. Police Chief Ed Flynn told reporters during a news conference that nothing in Heaggan-Brown’s pre-hiring background check suggested he would be likely to engage in wrongdoing.

“It’s altogether awful,” Flynn said. “This individual has revealed his character in a way that did not come to light in the pre-hiring investigation.”

Heaggan-Brown’s attorney, Michael Steinle, didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Heaggan-Brown’s bail was set at $100,000.

According to the criminal complaint Heaggan-Brown took the victim to a bar late on the night of Aug. 14 where they drank heavily and watched TV as coverage of the protests aired. The victim told investigators that Heaggan-Brown bragged that he was the boss and that there were “no limitations” on how he lived and that he could do whatever he wanted “without repercussions.”

The victim told police the day after the alleged assault that he had trouble remembering everything that happened after they left the bar but that he felt drugged. He said he woke up to Heaggan-Brown sexually assaulting him.

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