|
 Officer Matt Kenny used justified lethal force in the March 6
shooting of Tony Robinson, 19, who struck the 12-year police veteran
in the head, Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said.
"I conclude that this tragic and unfortunate death was the result of
a lawful use of deadly police force and that no charges should be
brought against officer Kenny," Ozanne said in a 25-minute
statement, during which he repeatedly mopped his face.
The shooting in Madison, Wisconsin's capital, was one of a number of
officer-involved deaths that have led to increased scrutiny of
police use of force in the United States, particularly against young
black men.
Ozanne said he was sorry for Robinson's death and that he shares
concerns of many Americans about racial profiling by law enforcement
officers. He noted that he is biracial like Robinson and also fears
being singled out by police because of the color of his skin.
 Kenny's attorney said the decision was appropriate, while Robinson's
family members expressed disappointment.
Several hundred demonstrators marched from the gray house where
Robinson was shot to the state Capitol Building after the
announcement, singing gospel songs behind a street-wide "Black Lives
Matter" banner.
At the end, Robinson's mother, Andrea Irwin, said, "I'm not the type
to be defeated. I'm just beginning to fight."
Another group plans a protest on Wednesday morning.
Police warned that there had been credible threats against officers
if the district attorney decided not to bring charges.
Ozanne said Kenny was responding to multiple emergency calls
reporting that a man had battered someone and was dodging traffic in
the street. Robinson's friends called 911 to say they were afraid of
him because he was acting violently and was on drugs.
Ozanne said Kenny followed Robinson into a dwelling and shot him
seven times after the teen struck Kenny in the head. The teenager
had psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana and the psychoactive drug Xanax
in his system.
The prosecutor's announcement came days after the U.S. Justice
Department announced a civil rights investigation into the Baltimore
police department's use of force to determine if there are patterns
of discriminatory policing.
[to top of second column] |
Riots broke out in the streets of Baltimore over the April 19 death
of Freddie Gray, 25, who died after suffering a spinal injury while
in police custody. Baltimore's chief prosecutor has charged six
police officers in Gray's death.
There were large but orderly demonstrations in Madison after
Robinson's shooting. The city of 240,000 people is nearly
four-fifths white and 7 percent African-American, according to U.S.
Census figures.
Last year, Robinson pleaded guilty to armed robbery and was put on
probation. Sentencing documents show it was his first brush with the
law, and he was not the armed person in the group that committed the
robbery.
Kenny has been on paid administrative leave during the
investigation. In 2007, he was involved in a fatal shooting that was
found to be justified.
After Ozanne spoke, Robinson's grandmother Sharon Irwin said she had
wanted the case to go to trial.
"All I want is due process, for 12 people to decide. Change must
come or we are going to go down together," she said.
Attorney Jon Loevy, who represents Robinson's family, said the
announcement left many unanswered questions. Turin Carter,
Robinson's uncle, said the teen was unfairly demonized.
"This was a 19-year-old kid whose life was cut short before he could
fully realize his potential," Carter told a news conference.
Bishop Harold Rayford, president of the African American Council of
Churches in Madison, said organizations have "to continue to work
with law enforcement so that if this happens again things will be
handled differently."
(Additional reporting by Mary Reardon in Madison; Writing by Fiona
Ortiz; Editing by Eric Walsh and Doina Chiacu)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
