A Wisconsin district attorney has decided not to file charges against the officer who shot and killed an unarmed man in March, officials say.
CNN reports that Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne announced that Madison police officer Matt Kenny will not be charged in connection with the March 6 shooting death of 19-year-old Tony Robinson:
I conclude that this tragic and unfortunate death was the result of a lawful use of deadly police force and that no charges should be brought against Officer Kenny in the death of Tony Robinson, Jr. am concerned that recent violence around our nation is giving some in our communities a justification for fear, hatred and violence.
I am reminded that true and lasting change does not come from violence, but from exercising our voices and our votes. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said, 'Violence brings only temporary change. Violence, by creating many more social problems than it solves, never brings permanent peace.'
My decision will not end the racial disparities that exist in the justice system, in our justice system. My decision is not based on emotion. Rather, this decision is based on the facts as they have been investigated and reported to me.
Officer Kenny was responding to a report about a man running in traffic and assaulting pedestrians. Kenny reportedly confronted Robinson at a Madison, Wisc. home, which led to a struggle; Robinson was shot during the encounter.
Robinson's friends and family allege that he had consumed hallucinogenic mushrooms the day of his death, maintaining that he never posed a threat to Officer Kenny.
[via CNN]
