Jury selection starts for ex-officer in death of black man

By Abbey Westbury
June 12 2017 03:20 PM

CP1669927053 — FILE - In this Aug. 14, 2016 file photo, police move in on a group of protesters throwing rocks at them in Milwaukee in response to the fatal shooting of Sylville Smith, a black man, by Milwaukee police officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown. Jury selection kicks off Monday, June 12, 2017 in the trial for Heaggan-Brown, who was charged in December with first-degree reckless homicide in Smith\'s death. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps, File)

MILWAUKEE – Jury selection has begun in the trial of a former Milwaukee police officer whose fatal shooting of a black man last year ignited rioting in the city.

Dominique Heaggan-Brown is charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the death of 23-year-old Sylville Smith. Heaggan-Brown is also black. He was fired two months after the shooting, when he was charged in an unrelated sexual assault case.

Attorneys began the process of narrowing down the number of potential jurors Monday afternoon.

The trial will give the public a first look at police bodycam video of the moments after Heaggan-Brown and his partner pulled over a car on Aug. 13, 2016. The video may help jurors decide whether Heaggan-Brown had reason to fear for his life when he fired his weapon.

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