CRIME

Social media threats intensify, focus on officer

Ashley Luthern, and Ellen Gabler

Milwaukee

The unrest in Sherman Park after a fatal police shooting Saturday appears to have mostly abated, but the social media communication that helped fuel it has, if anything, intensified and focused on the officer.

Members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigate the scene at the BP gas station at N. Sherman Blvd. and W. Burleigh St., one of several buildings destroyed by fire Saturday night.

As of Tuesday, at least 3,000 people have shared a Facebook photo of the 24-year-old Milwaukee patrolman who fatally shot 23-year-old Sylville Smith – some of them adding furious and threatening comments.

“Now y'all see his face if he's seen anywhere in the city drop him,” read one post. Another called for a gun so the person could “shoot him right in his head.”

The posters gave the officer’s name, Dominique Heaggan, and some included his home address. The Journal Sentinel has independently confirmed his identity, which has not been released by the Police Department. He is also known as Dominique Heaggan-Brown.

The Journal Sentinel is naming the officer because his identity already is widely known and readily available.

Heaggan and Smith, both of whom are black, knew each other from the Sherman Park neighborhood, multiple relatives and friends have said.

Most people shared the same photo — Heaggan, in uniform and standing in front of a squad car — or shared stories of interacting with him on the streets.

Others urged restraint, saying to wait for all the facts before making up their minds, and asked people to not “destroy our own communities.”

Not only have social media posts been personally directed at Heaggan, some expressed broader anger at police and what they see as systemic problems — in law enforcement, in race relations, in the city of Milwaukee.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, one Facebook livestream showed a group of men confronting a line of police officers in daylight, for more than 20 minutes. One of them said: “We want blood like ya’ll want it … eye for an eye. No more peace.”

On Monday afternoon, the District 7 police station was briefly closed because of threats, including shots fired nearby, according to Police Chief Edward Flynn. Police were not sure whether the station was targeted, and it reopened by 8 p.m.

Milwaukee police are aware of threats on social media, against both the officer and police in general, Flynn said Sunday. The officer, Flynn said, was staying with relatives out of town.

The Milwaukee Police Department did not respond to specific questions Tuesday asking for more information about the threats, including whether any arrests have been made.

Instead, it issued this statement: “MPD has noted a disturbing national trend where users of social media have identified officers involved in uses of deadly force, threatened the officers and their families, and demonized them. Locally, we are aware of some general threats against our officers. MPD takes these threats seriously and is investigating.”

Michael Crivello, president of the Milwaukee Police Association, called threats to officers and their families reprehensible and uncivilized and said the people who make them need to be investigated and charged.

Video not released

City officials have said, based on preliminary information, Heaggan was patrolling about 3:30 p.m. Saturday near N. 44th St. and W. Auer Ave. when he pulled over what he believed to be a suspicious vehicle. According to authorities, Smith was armed with a gun and turned toward Heaggan. The officer fired.

Heaggan was wearing an operational body camera, officials said. Both the footage and the autopsy report are in the custody of the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation, which has declined to release that information citing the ongoing investigation. Many community members are frustrated by that decision.

No citizen has ever filed a complaint against Heaggan with the city’s Fire and Police Commission, the board said Tuesday. He joined the force as a police aide in 2010 and became a sworn officer three years later. A year after that, he was recognized by police officials for helping a homeless woman.

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Smith’s family has claimed he filed a lawsuit against the Milwaukee Police Department. The Journal Sentinel has not found evidence of such a suit — settled or pending — in state or federal court. Smith also never filed a complaint with the Fire and Police Commission against Heaggan or any other officer.

The threats come amid a tense backdrop of recent violence against police officers, including the fatal shooting of five officers in Dallas last month.

But online threats don’t always translate into real-world violence, said Maria Haberfield, a professor of police science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.

“When you look historically, people always threaten police officers,” she said. “It’s nothing new. …What’s new is the availability of this threat to go on social media (which) sort of serves as a force multiplier.”

The threats that generally receive the most attention are those with a specific target and those with the widest reach, she said.

“It’s a different level of threat,” she said. “If suddenly you see the individual (making threats) has a group of supporters, then of course it would be taken more seriously.”

People who make online threats can be charged with crimes.

Last month, a 43-year-old Racine man’s social media posts caught the attention of local police and the FBI. The man, Byron L. Cowan, was charged with making terrorist threats and hate crimes after posting: “Be first to shoot. I encourage every Black man in America to strap up. It is clear. I encourage every white officer to kiss there (sic) love ones goodbye.”

'He grew up rough'

Many online posters shared stories about past interactions between Heaggan and Smith and about Heaggan’s style of policing.

Some of them agreed to talk with a reporter, including Deandre Ueal, 25, who said he knew both men.

Ueal said he played basketball with Heaggan when they were teens.

More recently, Ueal said, he had seen Heaggan and another officer patrolling on a bicycle in the neighborhood. Ueal said Heaggan would frequently shine a light in cars, then order people out.

“He seemed like he was so eager to get somebody in trouble, mess with someone. Too eager,” Ueal said.

Ueal said he knew Smith from years ago when they used to spend time at the Boys & Girls Club.

“He grew up rough. We all grew up rough. We all grew up in poverty, so it was kind of hard,” he said.

Since 2011, Smith was arrested or ticketed nine times. His family said he had a concealed-carry permit and carried a gun for protection after being a victim of robberies and shootings.

Scott Petri of New Berlin chimed in on one of the Facebook threads, urging people to stop with the threats.

“All your (sic) doing is hurting us as a race and making us look bad,” he wrote in response to a picture posted of the officer. “I understand we are angry and scared, but don’t ruin our neighborhoods, our home! It just doesn’t make any sense.”

Reached by phone, Petri said he feels like people are unnecessarily taking their anger out on the officer.

"He was doing his job,” Petri said.

Kevin Crowe, John Diedrich and Gina Barton of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.