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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Protests follow Wisconsin police shooting

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. – The fatal shooting of an unarmed black 19-year-old by a white police officer, who authorities say fired after he was assaulted, prompted protesters Saturday to take to the college town’s streets with chants of “black lives matter.” The city’s police chief said he understood the anger, assuring demonstrators his department would defend their rights as he implored the community to act with restraint.

Tony Robinson died Friday night after being shot in his apartment following a confrontation with Officer Matt Kenny, who had forced his way inside after hearing a disturbance while responding to a call, authorities and neighbors said.

Madison police Chief Mike Koval said Kenny was injured, but didn’t provide details. It wasn’t clear whether Robinson, who died at a hospital, was alone.

“He was unarmed. That’s going to make this all the more complicated for the investigators, for the public to accept,” Koval said of Robinson.

The shooting came days after the U.S. Justice Department said it would not issue civil rights charges against Darren Wilson, the white former Ferguson, Missouri, officer who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black and unarmed, after a struggle in the street last August.