Former officer pleads not guilty in traffic stop shooting

MILWAUKEE >> A former Milwaukee police officer accused of fatally shooting a black man during a traffic stop waived his right to a preliminary hearing Friday, erasing a chance for the public to see body camera footage of the incident.

Dominique HeagganBrown’s attorney, Steven Kohn, waived the hearing and entered a not guilty plea to the charge of felony reckless homicide for his client. Court Commissioner Barry Phillips ordered Heaggan-Brown to go to trial during the proceeding, which lasted less than five minutes.

Heaggan-Brown was charged last week in connection with 23-year-old Sylville Smith’s death in August. The criminal complaint, which alleges Heaggan-Brown fired the fatal shot even though Smith was unarmed, is based largely on footage from body cameras that Heaggan-Brown and his partner were wearing during the incident.

District Attorney John Chisholm has refused to release the footage publicly, calling it evidence. Outside court Friday, Chisholm said he had been prepared to play the video during the hearing if it had happened as scheduled. Chisholm added that he handed the footage over to Kohn. The defense attorney said he would not show the video to The Associated Press, saying that would violate a court order.

The shooting sparked two nights of riots on Milwaukee’s predominantly black north side. Demonstrators burned six businesses and a squad car and threw rocks and bottles at police.