MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Peaceful protesters in Madison took to the college town’s streets with chants of “Black Lives Matter” following the fatal shooting of an unarmed black 19-year-old by a white police officer, who authorities say fired after he was assaulted. The city’s police chief said he understood the anger, assuring demonstrators his department would defend their rights as he implored the community to act with restraint.
Tony Robinson died Friday night after being shot in his apartment following a confrontation with Officer Matt Kenny, who had forced his way inside after hearing a disturbance while responding to a call, authorities and neighbors said.
Madison Police Chief Mike Koval on Saturday said Kenny was injured, but didn’t provide details. It wasn’t clear whether Robinson, who died at a hospital, was alone.
“He was unarmed. That’s going to make this all the more complicated for the investigators, for the public to accept,” Koval said of Robinson. The department said Kenny would not have been wearing a body camera.
Several dozen protesters who gathered outside the police department Saturday afternoon held signs and chanted “Black Lives Matter” – a slogan adopted by activists and protesters nationwide after recent officer-involved deaths of unarmed blacks – before walking toward the neighborhood where the shooting took place.