MADISON, Wis. — The 19-year-old black man shot and killed by a veteran white officer was unarmed, Madison’s police chief said Saturday.
Tony Robinson was shot Friday night after an altercation in which Officer Matt Kenny, 45, was knocked down by a blow to the head, said Chief Mike Koval.
He added it wasn’t clear whether Robinson, who died at a hospital, was alone in the apartment where the shooting happened, which neighbors said was where he lived.
“He was unarmed. That’s going to make this all the more complicated for the investigators, for the public to accept,” Koval said.
Kenny, who has more than 12 years of experience, was involved in a 2007 shooting but was cleared of wrongdoing because it was a “suicide by cop” type of situation.
Several dozen protesters gathered outside the Dane County Public Safety Building on Saturday before starting to walk toward the scene of the shooting.
“My son has never been a violent person. And to die in such a violent, violent way, it baffles me,” said Andrea Irwin, who told WKOW-TV on Friday night that she is Robinson’s mother.
Koval said he understood the anger and distrust taking hold in the community after Robinson’s shooting. He said that “for those who do want to take to the street and protest,” his department would be there to “defend, facilitate, foster those First Amendment rights of assembly and freedom of speech.”
Kenny is on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation by the state’s Division of Criminal Investigation and the Dane County district attorney’s decision on whether to press charges, Koval said.
Koval said police were called about 6:30 p.m. Friday because Robinson was jumping into traffic. A second call to police said the man was “responsible for a battery,” Koval said.
Kenny went to an apartment and forced his way inside after hearing a disturbance. Koval said the officer was assaulted by Robinson, and then fired at him. Koval said Saturday that he couldn’t say how many shots were fired because it is part of the investigation.
