The man shot and killed by a Milwaukee police officer Saturday was charged last year in a shooting and then charged with trying to intimidate a witness in that shooting.
Sylville Smith, 23, was fatally shot after he refused to drop a gun, which was loaded with 23 rounds, police said.
Smith had been in trouble with the law dating back at least to 2011, according to arrest records released by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office late Sunday. He was arrested or ticketed nine times in that period — for the shooting, a robbery, carrying a concealed weapon, theft, possession of heroin, and more. His most recent arrest was July 22 for possession of cocaine, records show.
Last year, Smith was charged with first-degree recklessly endangering safety and with witness intimidation, but the charges were dismissed, court records show.
The charges were dropped even though the prosecutors had recorded jail calls in which Smith asked his girlfriend to pressure the victim to recant, according to court records.
In the witness intimidation case, Smith was accused of pressuring the victim in a shooting to recant a statement identifying him as the suspect, according to the criminal complaint.
