Madison Shooting Sparks Controversy

by Claire McMannes

     On March 6th a Madison police officer, Matt Kenny, shot 19-year-old Tony Robinson, and since then the controversy of the story is still hot to the touch.

     The story starts with a call from a source saying that a young male was yelling and jumping in front of cars. Another call came in saying Robinson was getting physical and tried to strangle someone. Shots were fired only seconds later. Four minutes later Kenny showed up and forced his way into the apartment. The shooting reportedly took place in the stairway of Robinson’s apartment when the officer fell off balance and shot the unarmed man out of self-defense. Robinson died in the hospital. He had three bullet wounds: one to the head, another to the torso, and one in the upper body.

     Protests broke out in Madison over the controversial shooting, much of which stems from the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Several protesters chanted “Black Lives Matter” while others seemed to be protesting police brutality against unarmed civilians at the Dane County Public Safety Building.

     Madison police chief Mike Koval stated during a conference, “He was unarmed. That’s going to make this all the more complicated for investigators, for the public, to accept.”

     For many, this is the exact mindset they have. With the many recent deaths of unarmed African Americans, people are starting to believe that there is a major problem with the police force. Although it is claimed that Robinson had prior criminal activity, one of which was an armed robbery that took place in April. He pleaded guilty in December and was put on probation. But despite his history, people still rally around his cause with over hundreds of peaceful protesters outside of where the alleged shooting took place.

     Cases much like Robinson are starting to catch the news scene more and more as they pile up with controversy and protests. One of the most famous ones was the Ferguson, Missouri shooting where an officer killed an unarmed Michael Brown.

     At least a thousand people attended Robinson’s funeral at Madison East High School Saturday. The number of people exceeded space so much that many had to watch the procession on screen. Many came over two hours early to get a spot to pay their respects to the young man and his grieving family. People were asked to leave their protesting signs outside to show respect for him.

     The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Justice was to give its reports in late March following an investigation.