FOX6 Investigators: Who is the police officer who fired the fatal shots at Sylville Smith?
MILWAUKEE -- FOX6 Investigators have learned the Milwaukee police officer who fired the fatal shots at Sylville Smith comes from the very neighborhood he patrols. Because the investigation is ongoing and the officer has not been accused of wrongdoing, we are choosing not to name him in this story.
The 24-year-old officer was first appointed to the Milwaukee Police Department as a police aide in 2010. He became a probationary officer in 2013 -- and his probationary period was extended for 97 days in 2014.
A Twitter account he used from 2012 to 2014 shows the aspiring cop felt he had "a lot to prove" -- that "the dope game" wasn't for him. Instead, he was "chasing a career and a degree." But during his time as a police aide, he also tweeted about "thug love," getting high and having sex with someone else's girlfriend.
In January 2013, he wrote:
"if your not comfortable with a pistol, its not worth having it, so use it play wit err chance u get so when its time u ready."
And the next month, he tweeted:
"karma comes quicker for a (racial slur) on the other side of the gun."
His last tweet was in December 2014, but the account remained open until Tuesday. A search now shows the page no longer exists.
Sylville Smith
Relatives of Sylville Smith say the officer went to high school with Smith -- a claim a police source confirmed on Monday.
Milwaukee police would neither confirm nor deny that the officer we described is indeed the one who shot Smith. Milwaukee Police Association President Mike Crivello declined to discuss this case at this time.