Wednesday, May 13, 2015

The Latest on Wisconsin Police Shooting: Mother Says Fight for Justice Not Over
Jeff Jackson, left, comforts his girlfriend, Andrea Irwin, the mother of Tony Robinson, while escorting her during a protest march on Williamson Street, Tuesday, May 12, 2015, in Madison, Wis. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne announced Tuesday that Madison Police Officer Matt Kenny would not face charges for the shooting death of Robinson. (M.P. King/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — 6:49 p.m.

The mother of an unarmed 19-year-old biracial Wisconsin man fatally shot by a white police officer is vowing to continue fighting to end injustice after a prosecutor said the officer would not be charged.

Tony Robinson's mother, Andrea Irwin, spoke to a crowd of supporters Tuesday outside Grace Episcopal Church in Madison.

Irwin said: "I am not going to be defeated. I am going to fight."

Hundreds of protesters marched around Capitol Square chanting, "I believe that we will win," before arriving at the church.

After Irwin spoke, a faith leader led the group in singing a civil rights-era song, "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around," before the group peacefully dispersed.
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5:45 p.m.

A friend of a Madison man who was shot to death by a police officer says protests over a decision not to charge the officer will be peaceful.

Jivonte Davis spoke a couple of hours after the Dane County prosecutor said the officer, who is white, used lawful deadly force against 19-year-old Tony Robinson, who was biracial.

Davis says he knew Robinson since fifth grade. He said he could "go out and break stuff" but it wouldn't achieve anything.

Davis says Madison is not Ferguson and it's not Baltimore, naming two cities that have recently seen violence in the wake of civilian deaths at the hands of police. He said Madison will "do this the right way."
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5:30 p.m.

Madison Police Chief Mike Koval says he hasn't yet spoken to one of his officers after a prosecutor said he wouldn't be charged in the fatal shooting of an unarmed biracial man.

Koval commented Tuesday after a prosecutor said charges will not be filed against Officer Matt Kenny in the shooting of Tony Robinson.

Koval says he left Kenny a voicemail saying that he imagined an "immense burden" had been lifted and he can look forward to resuming his career sometime in the future. The chief said in a blog post earlier in the day that an internal investigation has to run its course.

Koval also says that threats received against his officers are typical of those that are received before big events like the district attorney's announcement on charges. Koval says he is optimistic that the community will respond peacefully.
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5:10 p.m.

An attorney for the family of a 19-year-old biracial Madison man says they still have more questions than answers after a prosecutor declined to charge the white police officer who fatally shot the man.

The grandmother of Tony Robinson, Sharon Irwin, says the prosecutor's decision "is politics, not justice."

Attorney Jon Loevy says the family supports the community expressing frustration and anger, but they want protests to be peaceful.

Demonstrators are about to start marching toward the Wisconsin state Capitol. A sit-in has ended in the street outside the house where Robinson was shot in March.
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4:30 p.m.

The police chief in Madison, Wisconsin, says a police officer cleared of charges Tuesday in a fatal shooting in March will remain on administrative leave.

A prosecutor said Officer Matt Kenny used lawful deadly force in the shooting of 19-year-old Tony Robinson because he had been punched in the head and feared for his life. The death of Robinson, who is biracial, at the hands of a white police officer had sparked protests in Madison.

Chief Mike Koval says an internal policy review is needed to determine if Officer Kenny violated any procedure in responding to the call that ended in Robinson's death. He says he expects to have results of an investigation in another week or so.

Koval says he knows some people will want to be arrested at demonstrations following the decision. He says the city is indebted to Robinson's family for calling for protests to be peaceful.
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4:25 p.m.

A Madison police captain is warning city leaders that they have received threats from reliable sources that gang members plan violence against police officers, according to an email provided to The Associated Press.

The warning was emailed to Madison city council members Tuesday shortly before a prosecutor announced he would not be filing charges against a white police officer who shot and killed an unarmed biracial man in March.

Capt. Kristen Roman says in the email that police have received information that threats have been made.

There have been numerous protests in the wake of Tony Robinson's death, but all have been peaceful.

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4:20 p.m.

About 20 people are sitting in the street in front of a house in Madison where a 19-year-old biracial man was shot to death by a white police officer in March.

A prosecutor announced earlier that he would not charge the officer, saying he used lawful deadly force in a situation where he feared for his life.

Clergy are standing around the protesters, protecting them from oncoming cars.

Protesters are chanting, "This is what democracy looks like" and "No justice, no peace."

Cars are turning around and going other way to avoid them. No police on scene.

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3:57 p.m.

The mother of a 19-year-old man shot to death by a police officer in Madison says she's not surprised by a prosecutor's decision not to charge the officer.

Andrea Irwin's son, Tony Robinson Jr., died in the shooting in March.

Irwin says she doesn't think the investigation was thorough enough.

"They could have done a lot. What they didn't do was give my son any respect," she said.

Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne says Officer Matt Kenny feared for his life after being punched in the head and used lawful deadly force.

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3:39 p.m.

Religious leaders joined hands and began singing an African-American spiritual after a Wisconsin prosecutor announced that a white Madison police officer who fatally shot an unarmed biracial man in March will not be charged.

Dozens gathered in silence near the house where 19-year-old Tony Robinson was shot, congregating around cellphones that channeled live feeds of the announcement just more than a mile away.

After the decision was announced, the religious leaders began singing a hymn, "Guide My Feet."

The Rev. Chris Long, an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, said, "Peace cannot come until justice is served."

Linda Ketcham, executive director for the Madison area urban ministry, said the white community should join with the black community in calling for reform.

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3:35 p.m.

A Dane County prosecutor says people who are unhappy with the criminal justice system should pursue change through their voices and votes, not through violence.

District Attorney Ismael Ozanne made his remarks after announcing that he would not charge a white Madison police officer in the March shooting death of an unarmed, biracial man. Ozanne said Officer Matt Kenny feared for his life and used lawful deadly force before shooting 19-year-old Tony Robinson Jr.

Robinson's death has sparked several protests, all of them peaceful, in the weeks since the shooting.

Before announcing his decision, Ozanne stressed that he himself is biracial and said he "understands the pain of unjustified profiling."

He said he based his decision on the law.

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3:25 p.m.

A Wisconsin prosecutor says a white Madison police officer who shot an unarmed biracial man to death in March will not be charged because the officer used lawful deadly force.

Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said Officer Matt Kenny had been punched in the head and feared for his life when he shot 19-year-old Tony Robinson Jr.

Ozanne spent some 25 minutes laying out investigative findings in the case. He said multiple witnesses and 911 callers described Robinson punching a friend, attacking pedestrians and screaming on a street near his apartment house.

One caller said he feared both for himself and for Robinson.

Ozanne said Officer Kenny also thought another person in the apartment was in danger when he entered it just before the fatal shooting.

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3:15 p.m.

A Wisconsin prosecutor has decided not to charge a white police officer in the death of an unarmed biracial man in Madison.

Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne announced Tuesday that he wouldn't file any charges against Madison officer Matt Kenny in 19-year-old Tony Robinson's death on March 6.

Police say Kenny shot Robinson in an apartment house near the state Capitol building after Robinson attacked him. Kenny was responding to calls alleging that Robinson had assaulted two people and was running in and out of traffic.

The city's black community mounted daily rallies for a week after the shooting. The protests were peaceful, though demonstrators demanded Kenny be fired and charged with homicide.

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2:25 p.m.

A search warrant affidavit unsealed in the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old man by a Madison police officer says the officer told the next policeman arriving at the scene that he had been battered by the victim.

The affidavit was unsealed Tuesday, the same day Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne was to announce whether any charges would be filed in the March shooting of Tony Robinson.

The affidavit says Sgt. Lamar Gary arrived at the apartment house to see Officer Matt Kenny standing with his gun pointed at Robinson as Robinson was lying on the floor. Kenny told Gary he had been battered just before the shooting.

Police have said before that Kenny said he was struck by Robinson before the shooting.

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11:25 a.m.

The family of a biracial man killed by a white police officer isn't pleased with a prosecutor planning to announce a charging decision to the media before them.

Madison Officer Matt Kenny shot 19-year-old Tony Robinson in an apartment house on March 6. Police said Robinson was unarmed but attacked Kenny.

District Attorney Ismael Ozanne plans to announce at a news conference Tuesday afternoon whether he'll charge Kenny. He then plans to meet with Robinson's family.

Jerome Flowers is a family spokesman. He said Ozanne should alert the family first out of respect. He says Ozanne's lack of compassion isn't surprising given that he was ready to release his decision on Mother's Day.

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9:30 a.m.

The family of a biracial man killed by a white police officer plans to address the media and march in the streets after a prosecutor announces whether the officer will face charges.

Madison Officer Matt Kenny shot 19-year-old Tony Robinson in an apartment house on March 6. Police said Kenny was responding to calls that Robinson had assaulted two people and was running in traffic. Police said Robinson was unarmed but attacked Kenny.

District Attorney Ismael Ozanne plans to announce Tuesday afternoon whether he will charge Kenny. Robinson's family plans to hold a news conference near the apartment house following the announcement and then march to the state Capitol building.

The family is warning attendees to carry the number of an attorney who can help them if they're arrested.

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1:30 a.m.

A Wisconsin prosecutor is set to announce whether a white police officer who killed an unarmed biracial man in Madison will face criminal charges.

Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne plans to announce at a Tuesday news conference whether he'll charge Officer Matt Kenny. Ozanne isn't expected to take any questions.

Police say Kenny shot 19-year-old Tony Robinson in an apartment house in March after Robinson attacked him. Kenny was responding to calls that Robinson had assaulted two people and was running in traffic.

Police have released few other details. The state Justice Department investigated the incident under a state law that requires outside agencies to review officer-involved deaths.

The shooting sparked several protests, all of them peaceful.

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