Wis. police urge restraint after officer kills black teen

Doug Stanglin | USA TODAY

Police were calling for restraint Saturday in Madison, Wis., after the fatal shooting of an African-American teenager that sparked demonstrations.

Police Chief Mike Koval said Saturday it is "absolutely appropriate" for protesters to express their feelings after a police officer shot the teen Friday night, but he called for restraint, adding that an outside agency will investigate the incident.

Koval said the incident occurred after an officer — called to investigate a man jumping into traffic — followed the teenager to a nearby apartment and forced his way in after apparently hearing a disturbance, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

Koval told reporters that the teenager "then assaulted my officer and in the context of mutual combat, the officer did draw his revolver and subsequently shot the subject." He said more than one shot was fired.

A large crowd gathered at the scene, some carrying signs and shouting "black lives matter," but dispersed during the early morning hours. The crowd included demonstrators and organizers from the Young, Gifted & Black Coalition, the Journal reported.

Mayor Paul Soglin, who went to the scene shortly after the incident, called the shooting "an enormous tragedy."

"We've got a family that's really hurting, and we've got a city and neighborhood that's feeling pretty hurt themselves," Soglin told reporters.

Members of the group held a public meeting Saturday afternoon to discuss a community response to the incident, WKOW reported.

One organizer urged around 300 participants to take to the street and "force justice" for the victim. Organizers also said Madison East students would walk out of class on Monday in protest of the shooting.

"In light of so much things that have happened not just across the country, but in our own community, it's understandable that the reaction at the scene and of some of our citizens is extremely volatile, emotional and upsetting. And we understand that," Koval said at a news briefing Saturday.

"That's absolutely appropriate under these circumstances. We would urge, obviously, that everyone exercise restraint, calm and allow the Division of Criminal Investigation to conduct their affairs," he added.

Under a new state law, the DCI, which is part of the Wisconsin Department of Justice, takes over police-involved shootings.

Although the victim was not named by police, WKOW-TV spoke to his mother, Andrea Irwin, who identified the 19-year-old as Tony Robinson.

"My son has never been a violent person," Irwin said. "And to die in such a violent, violent way, it baffles me."

Before the shooting, Koval said the teen had allegedly assaulted an individual in the street before going back to his apartment. As to whether the teen was armed during the confrontation with the officer, Koval said initial findings "did not reflect a gun or anything of that nature that would have been used by the subject."