MADISON, Wis. — An unarmed black man fatally shot by a white Wisconsin police officer tended to be an impulsive risk-taker and faced a choice between a middle-class lifestyle and the gang world, according to court documents.
The file connected to 19-year-old Tony Robinson’s conviction last year for armed robbery shows he was diagnosed with attention-deficit disorder and anxiety and depression. The documents were contained in a report by a state Department of Corrections agent.
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Madison police officer Matt Kenny shot Robinson late Friday while investigating a call that the young man was jumping in and out of traffic and had assaulted someone. The officer heard a disturbance and forced his way into an apartment where Robinson had gone. Authorities said Kenny fired after Robinson assaulted him.
The shooting is the latest in a series of incidents involving white police officers killing unarmed black men over the last year, including in Ferguson, Missouri, where officer Darren Wilson shot unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown in August. That shooting sparked weeks of unrest.
Madison Police Chief Mike Koval, who is white, has tried to strike a conciliatory tone with the city’s black community, calling Robinson’s death a tragedy and even going so far as praying with Robinson’s grandmother in her driveway hours after the shooting. On Monday, he wrote on his blog that he was sorry Robinson died and hoped his family could find forgiveness in their hearts.
“The police are part of this community – and we share this sense of loss,” Koval wrote.
Police spokesman Joel DeSpain clarified in an email that Koval was not acknowledging any wrongdoing by Kenny or the department.
The state Justice Department’s Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the probe into the shooting because of a new state law that requires outside agencies to investigate officer-involved shootings. A Justice Department spokeswoman did not respond to an email Monday seeking an update. A final report is probably weeks or months away. Preliminary autopsy results were not expected until midweek at the earliest.
About 1,500 protesters held a demonstration Monday in front of the state Capitol.
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