VIDEO: Protests Erupt After Wisconsin Officer Shoots, Kills "Unarmed" Man
Friday night Madison, Wis., officers received a call from dispatch that a young man had assaulted another person, possibly tried to strangle another, and had jumped out in front of traffic. Dispatchers also told the officers that no weapons had been spotted by the witnesses and the suspect had left the scene to go back to his apartment.
Officers went to the apartment at 1125 Williamson Street, where they reportedly heard what sounded like a disturbance inside. Madison police say at least one officer entered the apartment, struggled with the suspect, and shot and killed the suspect, Tony Robinson.
Robinson, 19, was African American, the officer who fired the shots is white. Robinson was reportedly "unarmed."
The officer was reportedly injured, but details of the incident have not been released by the agency as the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation as is procedure with officer-involved deaths, reports the Wisconsin State Journal.
Robinson was convicted of armed robbery in 2014 and his sentence was suspended. The crime was reportedly a home invasion involving five 18-year-old men, one of whom was armed with a shotgun. The stolen property was recovered and no one was injured, Madison.com reports.
In the aftermath of Friday's shooting, a number of protests have erupted in Madison, which is home to the University of Wisconsin and the state capital.
Today, scores of protesters entered the Capitol Building and chanted, "Stand up, fight back, no more black men under attack" and "indict, convict, send those killer cops to jail—the whole damn system is guilty as hell." The Capitol protesters then marched to the City County Building, Channel 3000 reports.
Also, today, numerous Madison area student walked out of classes.
Over the weekend, a vigil was held for Robinson outside of the apartment building where he was killed, and the Young Gifted an Black Coalition made demands of local government.
Channel 3000 reports that the coalition is demanding that Robinson's funeral expenses be paid by the police department and the local government, and that the officer held accountable for Robinson's death.
Madison police say the officer who shot Robinson was involved in another deadly shooting in 2007. In that incident—characterized as a "suicide by cop"—a 48-year-old man was shot and killed by the officer when he pointed what appeared to be a .38 caliber revolver at officers. The gun was actually a pellet gun replica. The shooting was ruled justified by the Dane County District Attorney.
