Tony Robinson, 19, killed by Madison police after traffic disturbance was unarmed

[Thomas the Tank Engine]

 

A 19-year-old black man who died after being shot by a white police officer was unarmed, the Madison police chief said Saturday, assuring protesters who earlier in the day had chanted "Black Lives Matter" that his department would defend their rights to gather while imploring the community to express their anger with "responsibility and restraint."

 

Tony Robinson was shot Friday night after assaulting Officer Matt Kenny, Madison Police Chief Mike Koval said. Kenny was injured, Koval said, but didn't provide details. It wasn't clear whether Robinson, who died at a hospital, was alone in the apartment.

 

"He was unarmed. That's going to make this all the more complicated for the investigators, for the public to accept," Koval said during a news conference. Police department spokesman Joel DeSpain said Kenny would not have been wearing a body camera.

 

Several dozen protesters gathered earlier Saturday outside of the Dane County Public Safety Building holding signs that read "Black Lives Matter"

[adrynalyne]

I am so sick and tired of the media posting "angel photos".

 

Stick with the facts and stop the BS imo.

[Nogib]

I am so sick of these worthless protesters who jump to conclusions about every shooting when they either don't have the facts at all and/or simply buy into any media whitewashing they are fed.

 

These racist protesters need to GO.  And yes, they are indeed by definition VERY racist.

[DocM]

"Koval said the officer was assaulted by Robinson, and then fired at him."

Another 'don't attack cops, DUH!' incident.

[compl3x]

Unarmed doesn't immediately mean someone poses no danger.

 

I'm not making a commentary on any specific case or anything, but the label of "unarmed" seems to want to imply that someone doesn't pose a risk or a danger. That's demonstrably false.

 

 

Police department spokesman Joel DeSpain said Kenny would not have been wearing a body camera.

 

 

I think those cameras are a great idea, provided they aren't disabled or conveniently "not recording at the time". Video don't lie.

[dragontology]

We've heard a lot of these stories since Trayvon Martin was killed down in Florida. Then it was the kid in Missouri and that was huge. The guy in New York. This guy. And half a dozen in between that didn't shake up the news as much. I have to wonder if this is a new surge of black killings by corrupt, racist white cops as the media would have us believe... or if there's more to the story and it's just been going on forever, but somebody with lots of money needs us focused on racial strife like it's surging back up for some reason that makes more sense to them than the rest of us. Meanwhile we're led to believe that these cops are rogue and acting inappropriately and are pushing the envelope until things really break... and I don't care to be led. Because it seems like not too long ago it was child killings with the occasional rape thrown in, and I know that hasn't stopped, the media simply isn't focusing on it. Heinous things are being done to children, and it might make the local paper, but they're not going to focus on it like they did Caylee a few years ago, or that British kid.

I am so sick and tired of the media posting "angel photos".

 

Stick with the facts and stop the BS imo.

Agreed. I mean, they should use the best photo they can find of each person. But they get the worst they can find of the person they are supposed to be demonizing, and the best they can get of the victim, or the one they want you to sympathize with. Going back to the Trayvon Martin case, there were a lot of pictures of Martin looking like a straight-A student. You almost never saw the thug pictures on TV. And that isn't racism

[DocM]

Absolutely true that unarmed does not equal not dangerous. It's now a political buzzword with next to no meaning in reality.

I know several people who could kill you dead as Caesar bare handed. All it takes is one good shot to the head, as happened here last summer when a ~160 lb men's soccer player killed a larger referee with one punch. He's now in prison for murder.

Our news is reporting Robinson struck the cop in his head, knocking him down. The cop fired to terminate the attack, then he applied CPR and had to be taken to the hospital himself for treatment.

IMO this shoot is absolutely justified.

[PaulATMOS]

Are we going to get a report here on every incident or just the ones where a white cop shoots a black guy?

[DocM]

Sounds like the latter, because it fits the simplistic "cops = evil/racist" meme some here are enraptured with.

OTOH, Robinson was on 3 years probation for armed robbery,

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/armed-robbery/tony-robinson-shooting-890562

The unarmed Wisconsin teenager who was shot to death last night during a confrontation with a Madison cop pleaded guilty last year to armed robbery and recently began serving a three-year probation term for that felony conviction, court records show.

According to police, an officer responded Friday to a 911 call about a man who had assaulted a victim and was dodging cars in traffic. The cop followed the suspect into a nearby apartment, where the man allegedly struck the officer in the head, knocking him to the ground. During an ensuing struggle, patrolman Matt Kenny fatally shot the suspect.

>

[spenser.d]

I've lived in Madison for 10 years and frankly to think that the cops on the force here are racist because of this incident is laughable. You rarely hear a story where they had to use their weapons to resolve a hostile situation, so if they do, I tend to believe they had a very good reason. Sure it sucks that an unarmed kid died, but race doesn't exactly come into play when you assault a cop who's entering your building.

[+Warwagon MVC]

Take Chuck Norris for Example. Just because he's unarmed doesn't mean he couldn't kill you with his pinky!

 

This is truly unarmed

 

[PaulATMOS]

Take Chuck Norris for Example. Just because he's unarmed doesn't mean he couldn't kill you with his pinky!

 

This is truly unarmed

 

The guy in this photo wanted to sue for damages but his lawyer said he wouldn't have a leg to stand on.

[Ph1b3r0pt1c]

The guy in this photo wanted to sue for damages but his lawyer said he wouldn't have a leg to stand on.

LOL, thats so horrible and funny at the same time.

[theyarecomingforyou]

Assaulting a police officer shouldn't be a death sentence, especially when it's all to easy for officers to simply claim it was self-defence. Due process isn't being applied. As the article points out, people are now afraid to call the police because everyday situations are quickly turned into fatal shootings. Every police officer that carries a firearm should be required to have functioning body cameras in order to better ascertain the nature of these incidents. 

 

Police officers in the US don't seem to be trained properly in dispute resolution. All too often they charge in, knowing that if anyone dares challenge them they can simply be shot dead. I can't think of any other developed nation where an incident like this would have resulted in the same outcome. The profession seems to be attracting the wrong sort of people and there is simply no accountability.

[WelshBluebird]

Assaulting a police officer shouldn't be a death sentence

 

Exactly this.

 

Yes, if you assault a police officer you should be arrested, charged and probably thrown in prison.

However, it seems US police officers are way too trigger happy and will more than happily shoot and kill someone while dealing with situations that over in this country cops deal with by non lethal means.

Just because they have a gun does not mean they should use it. 

 

Oh and this is not a US v non US thing. I am sure the same would happen in this country if some people get their way and normal coppers are armed.

[Astra.Xtreme]

Assaulting a police officer shouldn't be a death sentence, especially when it's all to easy for officers to simply claim it was self-defence. Due process isn't being applied. As the article points out, people are now afraid to call the police because everyday situations are quickly turned into fatal shootings. Every police officer that carries a firearm should be required to have functioning body cameras in order to better ascertain the nature of these incidents. 

 

Police officers in the US don't seem to be trained properly in dispute resolution. All too often they charge in, knowing that if anyone dares challenge them they can simply be shot dead. I can't think of any other developed nation where an incident like this would have resulted in the same outcome. The profession seems to be attracting the wrong sort of people and there is simply no accountability.

That's great and all that you have an opinion, but law trumps personal opinion.  If you attack an officer, they can shoot you.  It's not any more complicated than that, and it doesn't need to be.  Whether you're pointing a gun at a cop, or trying to tackle him to the ground, it has to be assumed that there is deadly intent, thus they have to make the decision of kill or be killed.  

 

Speculate all you want, but point is that this person was a criminal and his stupid decision is ultimately what lead to his death.

 

And FYI, unless you've been living under a rock, police brutality and use of excessive force exists everywhere...  Open your eyes...

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=london+police+brutality

[DocM]

Assaulting a police officer shouldn't be a death sentence, especially when it's all to easy for officers to simply claim it was self-defence. Due process isn't being applied.

>

....drivel

>

Same old broken record.

Due process in this case has started, so you cannot say there hasn't been one. A shooting review will be done by the proseccutor, and very likely by a civilian police oversight board.

The odds are high the reviewers will rule in the officers favor based not just on the kid attacking a cop, but also on the states basic self-defense law.

Why?

1) He attacked and hit the cop in the head hard enough to put him down, a potentially lethal attack per my example, and had him in a totally defensive position.

2) The cops injury was sufficient to send the him to the hospital, and very likely enough to initiate a concussion protocol; a neurological exam, an MRI and close observation by his family for up to 3 days.

If there were ever a situation where someone should be able to defend themself using lethal force, this is it.

[adrynalyne]

Assaulting a police officer shouldn't be a death sentence

 

They (nor anyone else) shouldn't be assaulted in the first place.  I find it odd that you take all issue with the death of the attacker, but are fine with the assault taking place.

 

I am sorry you don't like the effect, but let face it, if the cause was never there, neither would be the effect.

 

Cause/effect.

 

Not effect without cause.

[soniqstylz]

Shocked that the Constitutionalists among us don't give a ###### about the 4th amendment.

[soniqstylz]

At this point, all we know is that the officer was responding to a man who had gone in the street and distrupted traffic.

 

He heard a "disturbance" in an apartment and forced his way in.

 

We have no knowledge a) if Robinson was the afformentioned "man disrupting traffic" (from his apartment) or b) what kind of disturbance was it.

 

For the record, Indiana just passed a law legalizing killing a cop who illegally forces his way into your home, because far be it for the cops to actually enter the right home and start shooting.

[wraith808]

They (nor anyone else) shouldn't be assaulted in the first place.  I find it odd that you take all issue with the death of the attacker, but are fine with the assault taking place.

 

I am sorry you don't like the effect, but let face it, if the cause was never there, neither would be the effect.

 

Cause/effect.

 

Not effect without cause.

 

Again, there's the other side of the equation- jumping to defense based on circumstantial evidence.  However, there's a dichotomy here that many don't get, which makes the gathering evidence statement ring false- the shooter has an advocate in the legal system.  The victim does not.  As these circumstances keep occurring it's become obvious that some sort of change needs to be made to the system- and I think that an advocate on the investigation team would be a good step in defusing the situation.

 

But neither side will suggest this- the supporters of the victim just want heads to roll and to be vindicated that the cops violated civil rights and/or are murderers, and the supporters of the shooters want to be vindicated that the deceased individual was indeed the cause of the incident and that they should be dead.

 

And can we quit using racist for incidents where racism is not proven?  I mean, there's a definitive definition of racist- and none of the people on either side are exhibiting the hallmarks of that established definition.  It's hyperbole and not really helpful.

[theyarecomingforyou]

That's great and all that you have an opinion, but law trumps personal opinion.  If you attack an officer, they can shoot you.  It's not any more complicated than that, and it doesn't need to be.

Law certainly does not trump personal opinion, lest we forget all the unjust laws of the past and present. Assaulting a police officer shouldn't mean you forfeit your life, especially when assaulting a police officer does not carry the death penalty.

 

Speculate all you want, but point is that this person was a criminal and his stupid decision is ultimately what lead to his death.

Nobody disputes that assaulting an armed police officer is reckless and stupid. The issue is the tactics used by officers. In this case the officer forced entry to an apartment and was allegedly assaulted, at which point he used lethal force. Without body cameras we have no way to know whether that account is accurate. Further, we need to look at the tactics used. If it wasn't safe for the officer to enter the apartment then he should have waited for backup, which would have reduced the chance of a fatal outcome (though we recently saw six cops fall over themselves like clowns and kill a homeless person, so nothing is certain).

 

The tactics used by police in the US are extremely confrontational, as they know they can shoot dead without consequence anyone who dares challenge them. Only when there is video footage exposing their wrongdoing is there a chance of accountability.

 

Same old broken record.

Yet another unarmed suspect killed by inept police.

 

Due process in this case has started, so you cannot say there hasn't been one. A shooting review will be done by the proseccutor, and very likely by a civilian police oversight board.

The odds are high the reviewers will rule in the officers favor based not just on the kid attacking a cop, but also on the states basic self-defense law.

Very few shootings ever result in action being taken against the officer. The system is broken.

 

I find it odd that you take all issue with the death of the attacker, but are fine with the assault taking place.

Don't expect me to respond any further if you're going to accuse me of supporting the assault of police officers. I won't tolerate such character assassination.

[DocM]

>

Very few shootings ever result in action being taken against the officer. The system is broken.

Or the population the police have to interact with skews the stats in favor of their actions.

Don't expect me to respond any further if you're going to accuse me of supporting the assault of police officers. I won't tolerate such character assassination.

Its not character assassination if it's true. You're a broken record WRT aggressive self defense, immune to common sense or reasoning, regardless of who does it or why.

We get it; people (including cops) should just roll over and accept their fate, and the courts and family should deal with the aftermath.

Screw that.

[Memphis]

Or the population the police have to interact with skews the stats in favor of their actions.

Its not character assassination if it's true. You're a broken record WRT aggressive self defense, immune to common sense or reasoning, regardless of who does it or why.

We get it; people (including cops) should just roll over and accept their fate, and the courts and family should deal with the aftermath.

Screw that.

Pot meet kettle, the fact is neither of you are truly sure what happened here, wait for some more information and in the meantime admit that we don't know all the details yet. I've been personally sucked into these conversations myself before the evidence is all out and have been proven wrong (travyon martin) we should all show more discretion on these topics.

[xendrome]

Law certainly does not trump personal opinion, lest we forget all the unjust laws of the past and present. Assaulting a police officer shouldn't mean you forfeit your life, especially when assaulting a police officer does not carry the death penalty.

 

 

LOL wut... "law certainly does not trump personal opinion" yes it does. Go commit a felony crime, get arrested and tell the judge "Well in my personal opinion I should not be punished" and see how that works out for you.